Gregg Popovich and five Spurs players to skip Phoenix preseason game
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich will not travel to Phoenix for Thursday’s exhibition game, according to Dan McCarney of MySanAntonio.com.
Popovich will join players Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills, Tiago Splitter and Kawhi Leonard in sitting out at home. Duncan and Ginobili are resting, while Mills and Splitter are out with injuries and Leonard is out with an eye infection.
The three-time Coach of the Year has a reputation for resting his older players. In 2012, the Spurs were fined $250,000 for sending Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green home before a nationally televised game against the Miami Heat.
The 2014 NBA Champions have been in the playoffs 17 consecutive seasons, the longest active postseason appearance streak in the NBA. Last year, the Spurs played 23 games in the postseason in addition to the 82 games during the regular season.
• Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki says NBA seasons are too long
The NBA recently announced that they would experiment with a 44-minute game for the Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets matchup on Sunday. Instead of the current 48-minute games, each quarter would be shortened by one minute.
On Wednesday, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said he thinks NBA seasons are too long.
- Danielle Zhu
