San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker knows his coach well. Gregg Popovich has become well-known for resting his players to ensure they are healthy and at full strength come playoff time.
According to Parker, Pop will continue to do that when the Spurs meet the conference-leading Warriors twice in the final stretch of the season:
I think no one will play (versus the Warriors). To Pop (Gregg Popovich), the most important thing is that the players are rested for the playoffs. As for first place, he does not care.
San Antonio still has a chance to reach Golden State in the standings but that is highly unlikely. That’s not to mention that Popovich does not usually care about standings so much as health in the postseason. It is only smart to rest players especially in games where they may have a slim chance of winning regardless.
I do, however, think Pop might play most of his team when the Spurs host Golden State. San Antonio is still undefeated at home and although Pop usually does not care about records, this may be a significant enough achievement for him to at least consider it.
For now, however, it may be safe to assume that the Spurs continue resting players as they gear up for a playoff run where they pose the biggest threat to the Warriors chances of a repeat.
