San Antonio – The Pepsi Center. The Nuggets fans. The altitude of 5,280 feet.
While it could be intimidating to many NBA teams, the San Antonio Spurs aren’t worried. All Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and his team are concerned about is getting a handle on the Nuggets in Game 3 on Saturday.
“There are all these stories about it, the home and away, the pressure, and it doesn’t really matter to NBA players at this point in the season,” Popovich said Thursday.
“We’ve all been there and done well with home court, done poorly with home court. Every good team’s been through it, so it’s really just a psychobabble kind of thing. … It doesn’t really do anything to anybody. We’ll read the (altitude) sign when we come in (to the Pepsi Center). Seventeen thousand, 600 million feet or whatever it is.”
The Spurs didn’t practice Thursday. They are scheduled to practice at home today and leave for Denver tonight for Games 3 and 4.
“We have to go into their building and get one win at least,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said Wednesday night.
Popovich said his team was completely healthy and he doesn’t plan on making any major changes before Game 3.
“Nothing changes,” Popovich said. “People don’t do things vastly different in the playoffs after you play 82 games and the preseason. The practice methods you use and how you prepare for games, nothing changes.”
San Antonio was 27-14 on the road during the regular season, including 18-8 against the Western Conference. Only the Dallas Mavericks (31) and Phoenix Suns (28) had more road wins this season. The Spurs beat the Nuggets 92-83 on Jan. 10 in their lone visit to the Pepsi Center.
“I’m sure their fans will be great,” Popovich said. “Everybody will be fired up, just like our fans here in San Antonio. That’s what makes the playoffs wonderful. All the games are hotly contested.”
Staff writer Anthony Cotton contributed to this report.
