Spurs coach Gregg Popovich blames Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard for J.J. Redick getting cleaner looks in Game 4

J.J. Redick

J.J. Redick/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers, NBA.com

 

Often times San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is very short with reporters, even chastising them for questions he deems ridiculous. It was therefore interesting to see him criticize two of his players for the way they handled – or didn’t handle – Clippers guard J.J. Redick in the Clippers’ 114-105 Game 4 victory over the Spurs on Sunday at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Spurs had done a good job of preventing Redick from getting a lot of clean looks in the first three games, resulting in Redick entering Game 4 having made just 10 of 32 shots from the field. He made 6 of 12 Sunday – 3 of 6 from 3-point range.- for 17 points.

Afterward, Popovich was asked about the lack of defensive execution that led to Redick getting those clean looks. Popovich laid the blame on Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard, the recently crowned NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

“That’s exactly right,” Popovich said. “No matter who we had on him, both Kawhi and Danny didn’t do a very good job of playing him the way he needs to be played. He had the better of them throughout the whole evening, for sure.”