SAN ANTONIO — Knicks coach David Fizdale has been more curt in his second season but hasn’t lost his knack for finding silver linings. Particularly the black and silver linings of San Antonio.
Fizdale declined to say exactly what would merit a successful season, but looked at Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio journey and cited the legendary coach’s first year.
In 1996-’97, Popovich’s interim record was 17-47 when the then-general manager took over for fired Bob Hill. The Spurs finished 20-62 and won the lottery for Tim Duncan. That was the first step in a dynasty that has seen 23 straight playoffs berths and five titles.