San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is a living legend and considered by many, including LeBron James, as the best coach to have ever lived. The Spurs have gone through decades of success and a lot of it can be attributed to the relationships Pop built along the way with stars such as David Robinson, Tony Parker, and of course Tim Duncan.
While the Spurs remain near the very top of the Western Conference totem pole, the uber-talented Golden State Warriors still sit at the pinnacle and have no plans of budging. Before Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Gregg Popovich praised Golden State’s brand of basketball. Following from James Herbert of CBS Sports:
“I don’t watch Golden State’s film,” Popovich said before San Antonio’s game against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. “I watch a game once in a while because Golden State’s really fun to watch. You’ve got to admit that, they’re in a different league than the rest of us…”
Popovich then continued to elaborate on his take on the highly discussed free agency signing of superstar Kevin Durant, a move that was frowned upon by many around the league:
“That’s your job,” Popovich said. “What team wouldn’t try to put together as good a group as they can? They did a good job, they figured it out, they get credit for it. It’s got nothing to do with oh, that’s unfair. Life’s unfair. Get over it. Go play ’em. If you want to beat ’em, do your best to beat ’em. You do or you don’t. No reason to denigrate them in any way, shape or form. They’re beautiful.”
Surely, hearing that one of the legendary basketball minds of all time thinks their game is “beautiful,” will be uplifting for the Warriors as if they needed any more confidence with the way they’ve been playing.
Talent-wise we all know the Warriors are on another level. Surely they’ve gone through growing pains with the addition of Durant and getting accustomed to having him in the fold, but when you roster 4 potential all-stars, you’ll find a way to make it work. Golden State remains terrifying as their offense continues to scorch opposing defenses and their defense remains rock solid. Take it from a guy that knows good basketball when he sees it, what Popovich had to say was spot-on, the Warriors continue to be the scariest team in the league.
