NBA

Gregg Popovich finds creative way to take shot at Phil Jackson

Gregg Popovich isn’t interested in talking about Phil Jackson.

The Spurs coach was queried about his longtime coaching rival before the Nets beat the Spurs, 95-93, in overtime Wednesday night, and Popovich didn’t take the bait.

“That’s his problem,” Popovich said when asked about the challenges the Knicks team president faces trying to turn his team around. “I will spend no time thinking or wondering about that. I have a job. Why would I care about his job?”

Later, Jackson’s name came up again. It was regarding his comments that the Spurs haven’t been a true dynasty despite their incredible run of success because they have yet to win back-to-back championships.

And, in typical fashion, Popovich didn’t disappoint.

“Ooh, that makes me mad,” Popovich said as sarcastically as possible, drawing laughs from the assembled media.

“Just write whatever you want, and I’ll say I said it. Make it good, though, so you get a promotion. Juicy, ugly, and I’ll say, ‘Yeah, I said it and I’m really sorry.’ … Have fun with it.”


The basketball world may have seen its last battle between Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Nets chose to rest Garnett for the second half of a back-to-back against the Spurs. His absence meant the two future Hall of Famers won’t meet this season — barring a meeting in the Finals, an unlikely scenario for the Nets.

With both men in the final year of their contracts, there’s a good the two never will face each other again.

“If he’s not here tonight, maybe there’s never a matchup,” Popovich said before the game with a laugh. “You know, those two guys have been competing for a long time. Great respect for both of them, obviously.

Tremendous, just competitive people, who reached that level when they did it night after night after night. And you know, young kids can look at them. You don’t look at that level of star unless you can do it consistently and those two guys are two of the best at what they did over a long period of time. So I miss not seeing Kevin play, because he’s tremendous.”

Nets coach Lionel Hollins said the decision on whether Garnett was going to play was up to Garnett.

“It’s his body,” Hollins said. “I don’t have any input. I just hear him say, ‘I’m not going tonight,’ and I say, ‘All right, I’ll see you tomorrow.’

“It’s not that big of a deal. [Popovich] has been doing it for the last five or six years with these guys, so it shouldn’t even be a question. He’s playing or not playing, and we move on.”