SAN ANTONIO – After three in a row on the road, the San Antonio Spurs are back home to take on the Dallas Mavericks.
A lot of things have changed since the Spurs were last in the AT&T Center. The coronavirus has gotten worse across the country.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich spoke to the media ahead of the Dallas game and said he is not worried about his players becoming infected, and agreed with the NBA’s current protocols in place to stop the spread of the virus.
Popovich, however, said he has spoken to former assistant Ettore Messina, who is currently in Italy where the outbreak has spread.
“It’s tough stuff. They are very concerned. Obviously with the measures they have taken, people are concerned. We are not at that stage yet. But who knows, we could get there," Popovich said.
Gregg Popovich says he’s not worried about his players becoming infected and agrees with what coronavirus protocols the #NBA and Adam Silver currently have in place. But he spoke with Ettore Messina about Italy’s situation and said its concerning. #KSATsports #KSATnews #Spurs pic.twitter.com/3jGwsyPN3e
— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) March 10, 2020
“Taken the world by storm," is the way Spurs guard Patty Mills described it at the Spurs game day morning shootaround.
The Spurs have received information on how to best protect themselves from the COVID-19.
“We’ve been educated and given knowledge about the disease, and what we need to stay away from and what we need to do to be able to stay healthy,” MIlls said. “It’s really no different than any other time during the season to be honest, washing your hands, obviously staying away from coughing and sneezing. I mean it is stuff that we do anyway.”
That is what the Spurs organization has been focused on, making sure their players and staff have the knowledge they need to protect themselves.
“Just try to be smart, do the right things, wash your hands keep your hands away from your face,” said guard Derrick White.
The league is making it a little easier for the players to stay healthy. The media is no longer allowed in the locker room before or after games to do interviews.
The Spurs will do interviews in the more controlled environment of the medial interview room.
The media must stay six-to-eight feet from the player or coach. Players being interviewed will be on a platform behind a table and the media will be in chairs on the floor, the recommended safe distance away.
According to Mills, the players will no longer be signing autographs for fans as they leave the court after pregame warm-ups.
“We have been told not sign and take photos at all, and have any interaction" Mills said.
The league has also warned teams to prepare to play games without any fans if it comes to that.
“Being in an empty gym would be kind of weird so I don’t know how anybody would feel about that," White said. “That would be crazy. I don’t know if anybody has ever played a game without any fans there."
Fans or no fans, virus or not, the Spurs have their work cut out for them.
They take on one of the top teams in the West on Tuesday night with their playoff hopes on the line and only 20 games left in the regular season to catch Memphis and the eighth playoff spot.
“We all understand our backs are against the wall,” Mills said, “We’ve got come out and compete right until the very end of the season. That’s really the only choice that we have.”
“Obviously, we know what’s going on around the world, but when that ball goes up in the air I think we are just focused on the game and what it takes to win," White said.
Mills said with the knowledge they have been given about the virus it should not be a distraction on the floor.
“I don’t think this is a massive distraction as compared to probably the other stuff we are going through as a team this season," Mills said.