The role Gregg Popovich played in Mitch Johnson, Spurs’ NBA Finals run

The San Antonio Spurs are just one day away from getting the NBA Finals underway against the New York Knicks. The Spurs will need to quickly shake off the high of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder and lock back in against a Knicks team that hasn’t lost in over a month.

Recently, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson revealed how his mentor, legendary Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, has played a key role in helping out San Antonio during this Finals run.

“Yeah, my relationship with Pop, the dynamic is/has changed with the roles we’re in now, but the relationship has stayed the same in terms of feedback, discussion, challenging each other, supporting each other, me asking him a lot of questions, him giving me a lot of wisdom,” said Johnson at NBA Finals media day. “…It’s not lost onto me the impact he’s had, while also empowering me to be myself.”

Popovich has frequently been seen at Spurs practice sessions during this postseason run, coaching up superstar Victor Wembanyama and the other players as they’ve made their way through the Western Conference playoffs.

In theory, the Spurs’ biggest challenge is already behind them after beating the reigning champion Thunder, but the Knicks are definitely not anything to sneeze at. The Knicks are 11-0 ever since falling behind 2-1 in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks, and ten of those wins have come by double figures.

This series could come down to which supporting cast plays better, and the coaching battle between Johnson and Mike Brown will also be fascinating to watch.

In any case, Game 1 between the Knicks and Spurs is slated to get underway on Wednesday at 8:30 pm ET in San Antonio.

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