LeBron James fought back tears. Former President Bill Clinton offered condolences. Craig Sager’s daughter tweeted that she was ”just sick” over the news.
Such is the regard that so many
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Spurs star Manu Ginobili says the team is ”devastated, we are all hurting.” But the players will ”go out there and compete” and respect Popovich’s philosophy of playing with ”fire” and ”determination.”
Added San Antonio’s Tony Parker: ”It puts everything in perspective. It’s way bigger than basketball.”
The Spurs trail the Golden State Warriors 3-0 in the first round after losing in San Antonio 110-97 on Thursday night. The 69-year-old coach ran practice Wednesday but was not on the sideline for the game. Assistant Ettore Messina coached the team.
Clinton reached out on Twitter to the coach and his daughters: ”I join the NBA family and countless fans across the country who are thinking of you, Jill, and Micky tonight as you mourn the loss of your Erin.”
The Spurs asked the media to respect the family’s privacy. General manager RC Buford said at Thursday’s shootaround he spoke to Popovich, who is ”overwhelmed by the support” but ”wants our focus to be about the game.”
”Erin and Gregg were best friends who were together for 40 years, and Erin’s impact and influence on our organization, on our families, on our players and their families will be felt for years to come
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Popovich has been a mentor to countless players and coaches, never afraid to speak out on social issues or rebuff a wayward question from a reporter. His humor is sharp, and just the other day he was the one in the film room who shouted ”Go Warriors!”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is one of those mentored by Popovich, and he knows the family well, having played for the Spurs in the late 1990s before being traded by Popovich.
”Erin was sort of the balance that Pop needed,” Kerr said with a laugh. ”She was part of the family, but she’s dealt with a lot over the last few years health-wise and has been very courageous.”
Warriors star Stephen Curry tweeted that he is ”lifting up prayers” for the coach and his family.
Ginobili had to contain tears at the shootaround.
”We all know the type of guy Pop is,” he said. ”Not many people know the type of gal that Erin was. It’s painful and having to go through this is always tough. There is never a good time.
”We want to be next to Pop, we want to support him, but we’ve got to go out there and compete today. But, for sure, we are toiling. It’s not an easy day to be here.”
After Popovich ran practice Wednesday
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”She was a great lady,” Parker said. ”I always thought of them like a dad and a mom, everybody knows that. He was always very private, but I had an opportunity to see him in a different way.”
Kacy Sager was heartsick because of the bond her late father shared with the coach. When the longtime broadcaster returned to his TNT job in 2015 after treatment for the leukemia that ultimately took his life, Popovich granted an interview if for no other reason than to welcome Sager back.
”Pop went out of his way to make sure our family knew we had his support when my father passed. … I hope the Popovich family are also able to find strength in all of the love this community has to give,” Sager wrote on Twitter.
James was visibly upset by the ”devastating news” after Game 2 of the Cavaliers-Pacers series.
”The NBA family, we all stick together,” James told TNT. ”I know we compete every night. But something like this happens, it puts everything in perspective.”
Popovich has coached San Antonio since 1996, leading the Spurs to five NBA titles. He also is the U.S. Olympic team coach.
James calls him a ”mastermind of the game” and has said he’d consider playing for the U.S. under Popovich at the 2020 Tokyo Games after skipping the Rio Olympics.
Other NBA greats expressed their grief on Twitter – Bill Russell, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant among them. Steve Nash wrote: ”Knowing Pop, it’s fair to assume Erin Popovich was an absolute legend.”
Popovich met his wife at the Air Force Academy in the 1970s when he was an assistant coach for the Falcons. Erin’s father
M.J. Stewart Color Rush Jersey , Jim Conboy, was Air Force’s head athletic trainer.
Former Spurs assistant and current Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said he’s known Erin a long time.
”Their family has been incredibly kind to my family,” he said. ”And she was a star, like a real star. A very strong woman, and somebody that will be missed.”
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AP freelancer Raul Dominguez contributed to this report.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have near the playoff experience as the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jacksonville, though, has winning experience at Heinz Field.
The champions of the AFC South (Jaguars) and AFC North (Steelers) will meet Sunday in the divisional round with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship Game against Tennessee or New England on Jan. 21.
Jacksonville trounced Pittsburgh 30-9 on Oct. 8 at Heinz Field, forcing Steelers two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into a career-worst five interceptions.
The Steelers (13-3) went on to win 10 of their last 11 games to secure the AFC’s second seed and first-round bye.
“We’ve evolved since then,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. “They have evolved a lot since then. (The first game) is a good physical reference in terms of the matchups. … I am sure that they are as different as we are since the last time we’ve seen them.”
The Jaguars are hoping that the evolution has been minimal, especially the passing game. Roethlisberger said last week he was hoping the Steelers would get to play the Jaguars.
Jacksonville All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey helped grant his wish with his interception in the final seconds to seal Jacksonville’s 10-3 victory over Buffalo in the wild-card round Sunday at EverBank Field. The win was Jacksonville’s first in the playoffs since the 2007 season, its last appearance.
The Jaguars (11-6) returned two Roethlisberger interceptions for touchdowns in the first meeting.
The 35-year-old Roethlisberger wondered “if he still has it” after the loss when meeting with reporters.
Ramsey said with the Bills game behind them
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“I’m sure it will be brought up a couple times this week,” Ramsey said. “I would want to play us again too. He threw five picks and was contemplating retirement saying whether he had it or not after playing us. They had a good season after our game. But, sometimes you have to be careful what you ask for. We’ll see Big Ben and the Steelers on Sunday. We’ll see what happens then.”
Ramsey intercepted a pass in the Pittsburgh win and deflected four passes. One breakup resulted in strong safety Barry Church intercepting a pass and returning it 51 yards for a touchdown.
Roethlisberger was quick to praise the Jaguars’ defense this week.
“This is one of the best defenses I’ve ever played against,” Roethlisberger said.
The Steelers finished the season ranked third in the NFL in passing yardage, with the Jaguars first in pass defense.
“They play to our strengths,” Ramsey said. “They think that passing is their strength. Defending the pass is our strength. Any team that tries to pass the ball on us 40 times hasn’t had success on us and I don’t think will have success on us. We have to grind this week though. They’re a good team coming off the bye. We’re going to have to have a great game plan and execute.”
Ramsey will be in the headlining matchup Sunday as he goes up against Steelers All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown, who caught 10 passes for 157 yards on 19 targets in the first meeting.
Brown injured his calf on Dec. 17, but is expected to play Sunday. The eighth-year veteran led the NFL in receiving yards this season with 1,533 (89 more than No. 2 Julio Jones), despite missing the final two games of the season.
Pittsburgh will also try to lean more on All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell, who was held to 93 total yards in the first meeting.
“He’s not one-dimensional,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said. “It’s not like this guy is going to take the ball and run downhill and run you over every single time he takes it. He can do that. He can also get the ball outside. He has excellent patience. He has a really good understanding of the blocking scheme. He’s a natural catcher.”
The big question is how much will Pittsburgh really need to score? Jacksonville’s offense has been sluggish lately
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Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles wasn’t effective in the first meeting. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 95 yards with no touchdowns and an interception for a 48.2 passer rating.
The Jaguars’ top-ranked run offense had one of its best days of the season, generating 231 yards. Rookie running back Leonard Fournette carried 28 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-clinching 90-yard score.
“Hopefully, we can throw less,” Bortles said. “That would be awesome. Leonard goes off again and those guys up front play as well as they did last time, we can run the ball up there and not have to throw at all. It was something that happened last time, but you never know.”
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