The San Antonio Spurs, the model for stability and sustained success in the modern NBA, were still a shaken team when they showed up for training camp in October, less than four months after a devastating loss to Miami in the NBA Finals. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Some coaches would try to brush off the disappointment of letting a title slip through their fingers and refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Gregg Popovich took it head on, embraced the heartache, and in a career full of masterful coaching performances, delivered perhaps his finest effort in season No. 18. "The way we lost in the finals wasnt an ordinary loss, it was pretty devastating," Popovich said on Tuesday after being named NBA coach of the year. "We decided that we needed to just face that right off the bat at the beginning of the season and get it out of the way. Dont blame it on the basketball gods or bad fortune or anything like that, the Miami Heat beat us and won the championship and thats that." Popovich joined Don Nelson and Pat Riley as the only coaches in league history to take home the Red Auerbach trophy three times in their career. "Theyre on the hood of my car," Popovich cracked. "One, two, three, right on the car, the way players do license plates. ... Ive got three of those right on the hood." Hes never liked the attention, never bought into the proclamations of his genius. When the accolades come his way, Popovich is quick to deflect them, giving the credit to his players, his assistant coaches, owner Peter Holt and general manager R.C. Buford. The humility in his voice on Tuesday was genuine, the challenge of putting the pieces back together after last seasons finish as daunting as ever. They showed up to training camp still stinging from that defeat, and Popovich had to get to know a new-look coaching staff after losing longtime assistants Brett Brown and Mike Budenholzer to head coaching jobs in Philadelphia and Atlanta. Then he led the Spurs to a league-best 62-20 record, which gives them home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. And he did it while deftly navigating a season filled with nagging injuries to several key players. Tim Duncan was the only starter to play in at least 70 games. No Spur averaged 30 minutes per game and Tony Parker led the team with a modest 16.7 points per game. Despite all of that, the Spurs won at least 50 games for the 15th straight season and topped 60 for the fourth time in that span. "Day after day, year after year, the energy that Pop provides our organization is truly unique," Buford said. The Spurs lead the Dallas Mavericks 1-0 in their best-of-seven series, with Game 2 on Wednesday night in San Antonio. "Hes a gentleman," Spurs swingman Marco Belinelli said. "Everybody knows that hes the best coach in the league. So to say that is not really important. But maybe some people, they dont know hes really a great guy, a great gentleman. He really helps guys, helps each other. He wants to help everybody. Great person." When Miami topped San Antonio in that classic seven-game series, Popovichs reaction resonated deeply within some members of the Heat organization. Instead of showing his disappointment at the final buzzer, Popovich lingered on the court for a few minutes, sharing heartfelt embraces and words with Erik Spoelstra, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, among others -- even smiling as he chatted with them and congratulated them on winning the title. And when told of Popovichs award Tuesday, James offered high praise to the Spurs coach. "Not surprised," James said. "Its well-awarded. I have the utmost respect for Gregg Popovich, man. Not only what hes been able to do for that team, but him just being able to always keep those guys motivated and always keep their best interests. ... From the outside looking in, it seems that he has their best interests and all he cares about is the teams success and nothing else matters. Thats big-time." Behind all his press conference bluster and the orneriness he directs toward the officials, there is a softer side that endears Popovich to those around him. That much was revealed during Game 1 against the Mavericks when he was interviewed by Craig Sager Jr., who was filling in for his father, a longtime sideline reporter who is being treated for leukemia. Popovichs curt demeanour and one-word answers to the elder Sagers questions have become appointment viewing, but this time the coach stopped in the middle of tense game, stared right into the camera and delivered a heart-felt message. "We miss you. Youve been an important part of all of us for a long time, doing a great job," he said. "We want your fanny back on the court, and I promise Ill be nice." Popovich garnered 59 first-place votes and 380 total points in voting conducted by a panel of media members. Phoenixs Jeff Hornacek (37 first-place votes) finished second and Chicagos Tom Thibodeau (12) finished third in the voting, with Charlottes Steve Clifford and Torontos Dwane Casey rounding out the top five in a season so strong that Spoelstra did not make the top 10. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . Johnson shared an update after his surgery Tuesday on Twitter. He also wrote, "now lets get on the grind." The running back told The Tennessean he was having surgery in Pensacola, Fla. Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap . "I love the game, its the best job you can have," he explained Tuesday as the players left Joe Louis Arena for the summer. "Ill sit down with my wife and well go from there. https://www.chinajerseysnfl.us/ .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No.PARIS - Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc lambasted his players for not respecting Bastia, after blowing a 2-0 lead in a 4-2 loss to the Corsican side in the French league on Saturday.PSG dropped to fourth in the standings, after having the chance to move level at the top with Marseille. Blancs side looked well set after scoring twice inside 20 minutes. But its defensive frailties were yet again exposed as Bastia roared back to level before halftime.We eased up in terms of our concentration and our rigour. The team forgot certain things, let certain things go in the last five minutes of the first half, Blanc said. Maybe we thought the match was easy. You have to respect these teams. We showed a lack of respect toward this Bastia team after the first 35 minutes and they made us pay.Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is still struggling for fitness since returning from a troublesome heel injury and has scored only once in his past four games, was stunned by the defeat.We played well for the first 20 minutes and then something happened which has never happened to me before, the burly forward said. I mean, winning 2-0 and losing 4-2, Ive never experienced that. We need to wake up.PSG has failed to win any of its past three league games, losing two and drawing one.It remains three points behind Marseille, and — under the concerned gaze of club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi — this latest sloppy performance increases the pressure on Blanc ahead of Tuesdays League Cup quarterfinal at Saint-Etienne.Yes, we were complacent at times, Blanc said. You get taught a good lesson when you dont do things properly.To make matters worse, Saint-Etiennes 2-1 win at Reimss saw it leapfrog over PSG and into third place. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China. Saint-Etienne moved to two points behind Marseille, level with Lyon, which has a better goal difference and can move to the top of the league if it beats Toulouse at home on Sunday.Saint-Etiennes goals came either side of halftime from wingers Yohan Mollo and Romain Hamouma.Before the winter break, Blanc lamented his teams lack of aggression, particularly when defending set-pieces — and two of the goals conceded came from corners and two stemmed from crosses.Conceding four goals is inexplicable, Blanc said.After PSGs bright start, midfielder Ryad Boudebouz converted a penalty for a handball by Gregory van der Wiel, and set up the equalizer on the stroke of halftime when his cross was headed home by veteran defender Francois-Joseph Modesto.Bastia took the lead soon after the break when defender Julian Palmieri struck the best of his two goals. Rabiot cleared Boudebouzs corner from the left, the ball fell to Palmieri some 20 metres out, and his volley made it 3-2 in the 56th.Anything can happen in football — I can even score with my right foot, joked Palmieri, who is left footed.After PSG centre half Thiago Silva struck the crossbar, Palmieri sealed an impressive win when he rifled in Abdoulaye Keitas cross from the right.In other matches, it was Evian 1, Rennes 1; Guingamp 2, Lens 0; Lille 1, Caen 0; and Nice 3, Lorient 1.A minutes silence was held before all matches this weekend in memory of the 17 people killed in Paris this week, following three days of bloodshed in a rampage by terrorists linked to al-Qaida in Yemen.Also on Sunday, Nantes hosts Metz and Monaco faces Bordeaux. ' ' '