“Champions Day” to Feature an NBA TV Originals Candid Conversation with Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker Reflecting on More Than a Decade of Excellence
NBA TV’s Special Programming to Include Champions Revealed: 2014 San Antonio Spurs,
Open Court: NBA Champions Edition, 2014 San Antonio Spurs: Go Spurs Go & NBA Finals Re-Airs
NBA TV will feature special daylong programming on Monday, Oct. 27, to celebrate the 2014 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. The network will premiere three original programs –Champions Revealed: 2014 San Antonio Spurs, Open Court: NBA Champions Edition and2014San Antonio Spurs: Go Spurs Go – along with re-airs of past NBA Finals performances and season reviews from the Spurs’ five title-winning seasons.
Anchoring the programming block, Champions Revealed: 2014 San Antonio Spurs, an NBA TV Originals production, will feature a candid conversation between the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, at 9 p.m. ET. The four principal figures sat down following last year’s NBA Finals win to reflect on the building of a dynasty, how their relationships have developed over the years and the satisfaction of this past year’s championship season.
The three-hour primetime block of original programming will tip off with 2014 San Antonio Spurs: Go Spurs Go, a look back at last year’s Spurs championship season, at 8 p.m. The hour-long program relives the Spurs’ fifth title run with exclusive interviews, highlights and behind-the-scenes footage.
The night will conclude with a champions-themed edition of Open Court at 10 p.m., with the critically acclaimed roundtable show featuring a cast of NBA Champions – Hall of FamersShaquille O’Neal and Isiah Thomas, along with Rick Fox, Kenny Smith, Steve Smith andChauncey Billups – with Sports Emmy Award-winning host Ernie Johnson. The panel of NBA greats reflects on championship experiences and discusses the perseverance it takes to win a title.
Earlier in the day, NBA TV will re-air season in review shows from the Spurs’ previous four championship seasons starting at 9 a.m., followed by encore airings of Games 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals, beginning at 2 p.m.
Excerpts from Champions Revealed: 2014 San Antonio Spurs:
Popovich on the beginning of the Duncan Era in San Antonio: “[Tim Duncan] came to training camp and David Robinson watched him play and about the second practice the whole offense changed. David was now in the dunker spot and Timmy was on the block catching the ball and David never even said a word…You know this new kid comes in and all of a sudden David’s not getting all of his touches…I never said, ‘David this is the way it’s going to be.’ We just did what we did and he knew it right off the bat and he loved it. Timmy just grew and grew from there, unbelievable.”
Parker on the quality of people in building the Spurs: “I like what TD said…we talked and he said we are good people at heart. I think that is the best thing when you choose the players, they are like good people, and all they care [about] is the team. It’s easy for everybody to follow.”
Duncan on Ginobili’s maturation through tough practices against Bruce Bowen: “I remember the first year you were here when we practiced; you’d have to play against Bruce [Bowen] a lot. And Bruce used to beat the absolute crap out of you. That’s where I started believing and started seeing that he was as good as advertised because Bruce would go at him and beat him up and try to slow him down and he’d play through all of it.”
Manu on witnessing firsthand the Spurs’ chemistry and execution last season: “I start on the bench so I get to see what’s going on more and there were some plays, especially this year, where it was like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, wow, or those passes from Tony to a wing to Boris [Diaw] to you or an extra pass to the corner, it was fun… I said, ‘This is nice. We are playing at a really high level and if we could understand that this is the way to go on a daily basis it can be so special.’”
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