Sometime this week, Gregg Popovich will almost certainly become the ninth coach with 1,000 career regular-season wins.
To state the obvious, over the course of two decades he has established himself as one of the NBA’s greatest basketball coaches. A Sir Alex Ferguson of the NBA, if you will. But it has been more than just the wins and honours that set him apart.
If Popovich ever comes across like the smartest guy in the room, it’s because he probably is.
Not to deny the tactical or competitive genius of contemporaries such as Phil Jackson or Pat Riley, but Popovich has had it all.
“When you talk about legacy, how he has adapted and adjusted and been at the forefront of changes in the game has to be a big part of it,” Mike Budenholzer, coach of the Atlanta Hawks and formerly a Popovich assistant, told the San Antonio Express-News. “He is an innovator in understanding how you have success on both ends of the court.”
He and the Spurs GM, RC Buford, were at the forefront of turning statistical analysis into on-court performance.
He hired the first woman to be an assistant coach in the NBA, Becky Hammon.
He figured out how to extend careers in pioneering the practice of sitting healthy older players.
Popovich has all the accolades to count among the greatest, but it has been his willingness to experiment, to be bold, to be an “innovator”, that has truly cemented his legacy.
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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The Saudi Cup race card
1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000
3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000
4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000
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8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
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Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Elvis
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Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
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Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
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Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
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Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures