The San Antonio Spurs were able to pull out a must-win game against the New York Knicks in Game 3, stealing one on the road to cut their series deficit to 2-1. It was all about how the Spurs came out, but what was probably more important was the talk that Gregg Popovich gave the team days before the game, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“And as it turns out, the very traits that were required to respond so impressively were the focus of a speech given by legendary Gregg Popovich as the Spurs headed out of town two days before,” Amick wrote. “Not long after the Spurs’ bags were loaded onto their charter plane bound for the Big Apple, Popovich — who was not joining the team on the trip — made his way onto the plane and gave a rare rallying cry to remember.”
It was the first time all season that Popovich was on the plane, and he reminded the team that the series wasn't over.
“He basically said that even though we dug ourselves a hole, that we can dig ourselves out of it,” Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox said. “He told us just to be confident — to come out here and be confident, that there’s a reason why we got here.”
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That's all they needed, because the Spurs were able to close out Game 3, something they struggled to do in the first two games of the series.
Popovich has come in pockets for the Spurs this season, and it seems like he only comes around in the pivotal moments. Victor Wembanyama shared that Popovich texted him earlier in the season and let him know he can play better than he was.
Though the legendary coach isn't on the sidelines, he is still making an impact wherever he can.
The San Antonio Spurs were able to pull out a must-win game against the New York Knicks in Game 3, stealing one on the road to cut their series deficit to 2-1. It was all about how the Spurs came out, but what was probably more important was the talk that Gregg Popovich gave the team days before the game, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.