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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WARRIORS VS SPURS

May 14, 2017

Gregg Popovich

Oakland, California - Pregame

Q. Coach, what is your starting lineup for today in Game 1?
COACH POPOVICH: Same as usual.

Q. (No Microphone)?
COACH POPOVICH: Last time I checked, Tony [Parker] was still hurt (No Microphone) you're a genius.

Q. I know you know what your guys can do and what they're capable of. Did they surprise you at all in that last game and that last series?
COACH POPOVICH: I think that game, very honestly, surprised everybody. One does not go into a playoff game and expect that, for sure. We're not that good, and they're not that bad.

It was a very weird night for many reasons, which I don't think any of us can grab on to. It's like trying to figure out the presidency.

I never said that. Lot of people said I did, but I didn't say it. I'm in trouble now.

Q. Do you take any special pride in your influence on Steve [Kerr] and Mike [Brown]? I mean, they quote you all the time. Obviously they admire what you've done. How do you look at facing them on the court in terms of a series like this?
COACH POPOVICH: Well, I'm flattered, I guess. Very close to those guys. We're very good friends. Steve having played for me, and Mike coached with me, so we go back a ways. A lot of great experiences, a lot of humor. You know how much they enjoy having fun, and we've had a lot of fun together. So for them to be kind is humbling for me.

But the older I get, it's like a bigger family, and that's what I get a big kick out of. We'll go out there and try to kick each other's butts, but we've already been toying with each other on the phone and laughing. Win or lose, we'll do the same thing. We'll go on. But make no mistake, everybody who is involved in something like this wants to win. But we realize there is more to life than just that.

Q. I didn't know if you caught SNL last night, Melissa McCarthy. That was the first part of the question, since you had that on the mind.
COACH POPOVICH: I did not see it. I was at my third dinner in San Francisco.

Q. My real question was you had a nice story this week on your role in helping Mike get this job here, sort of talking to Steve and saying, hey, he'd be really good in this role. I think there was a part where you said, now, if you get it, you better take it. What was that moment like? Was it sort of like kicking your kid out of the house?
COACH POPOVICH: No, you know, Mike's a wonderful guy. He's not just somebody who understands basketball and the game, he's a great people person. I understand Steve's personality. I know what makes him tick. He's obviously highly intelligent, but he's got a wonderful sense of humor and he really prides himself on that in the sense that humor gets us through a lot of situations in our lives.

Mike would fit in great in that respect. He's also kind of like a bubble machine. It's always great when you have somebody on your staff who drives you crazy with this idea and that idea. Mike's also one of those, so I'm sure Steve said, whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, big boy. Take it easy. I can't handle any more information. Go get a Coke. Go do something. It's always good to have someone like that around, so I thought it would be a good fit.

Q. You've known Steve obviously for a long time. How aware were you of his health issues the last couple years, and how often do you find yourself checking in with him about it?
COACH POPOVICH: Quite often. He's gone through hell. I'm sure most people don't really know, and I'll leave that to him to describe as much as he wants to describe. But it's been very difficult for him. He's shown a lot of courage getting through what he's gotten through. Sure, you keep tabs on friends. That's just normal.

Q. Mike was saying that his time with you, sure, he learned some X's and O's things, new things last year, but also just how you have evolved and your communication skills with today's NBA player. What might he mean by that? How have you learned to communicate with the players of this era?
COACH POPOVICH: I thought you were going to say he said I corrupted them, made them learn about wine. So that's good. I think if you can communicate, you can communicate. Everybody makes a little bit too much of this generation and that generation. There was a point where we used to all talk about all the players want to do is dunk and shoot three-pointers. ESPN has ruined them all because all the clips on TV are about who dunked and who didn't dunk, who got posterized.

When you get right down to it, young people are young people. They want direction shown and given discipline in the right way. They thrive. People with character seem to have an understanding of what discipline can do for them. But if somebody doesn't have the character to embrace the work ethic or discipline necessary to play at this level, that's on them as an individual. It's not generational.

Q. Hank was describing you and Mike as painters. He said if you guys are painters, you'd be Jackson Pollock and Mike Brown would be Norman Rockwell. What might he mean by that?
COACH POPOVICH: Well -- well, I haven't been in a philosophy class in a long time. I guess it means I'm a little crazier than Mike, maybe. Maybe a little more by the seat of the pants.

Mike is a little bit more by the numbers. He's a little bit more old school in that sense. He believes what he believes and he's sticking to it. There is a lot of value in that.

I'm a little more off the cuff, I guess. Just look at the situation. We're playing zone tonight, for instance, which is counterintuitive. They've got a lot of shooters but we don't care. We're going to zone them. So that's a little bit different.

Q. Coach, Patty Mills has been filling in for you since Tony Parker had to step off the court. Can you talk about his play and how he's approached his role?
COACH POPOVICH: I don't want to talk too much about Patty Mills, because the more good things I say, the more we're going to have to pay him (laughing). That's the truth.

No, he's been fantastic. He's going to have 94 teams after him. He's just a special competitor, team player. He's a big part of the spirit of our team. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, he's the same. Just a beautiful human being that energizes a whole group, and somebody that the group loves to be around. That's who he is.

Q. David West was saying that playing for the Spurs was a bucket list thing for him and something he wanted to do his entire life. What did he mean to your organization, and how have you seen him shine here as a passer and playing a role that's really worked?
GREGG POPOVICH: He was wonderful. He's a class act. He's a contemplative guy. He thinks about things. Beyond basketball, it's fun to be around him to talk about social situations. We'd share that sort of thing. As a player, he's in the perfect system. They've got the big guys out on the court and passing and everybody's running splits and back door and slipping, and he's a good passer. If you get off, he can shoot the shot. So I'm happy for him in that situation. We hated to lose him.

Q. A coach to a large extent has to shut out a lot of the world. I know you don't; you pay attention to what's going on. But these are crazy times. Do you ever find yourself getting distracted on what's going on now in the outside world?
GREGG POPOVICH: Absolutely. It's interesting that you would ask that because usually things happen in the world and you go to work and you've got your family and you've got your friends and you do what you do. But to this day I feel like there is a cloud or pall over the whole country in a paranoid, surreal sort of way. It has nothing to do with the democrats losing the election. It's got to do with the way one individual conducts himself, and it's embarrassing.

It's dangerous to our institutions and what we all stand for and what we expect the country to be. But for this individual, he's in a game show and everything that happens begins and ends with him, not our people or our country. Every time he talks about those things, that's just a rouse. That's just disingenuous, cynical and fake.

Well, with that, enjoy the game. Somebody's going to win; somebody's going to lose. I just hope somebody doesn't get their butt kicked.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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