Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is a handful for the media when the Spurs win. When they lose, he’s as gracious as the job requires — but Pop’s patience isn’t at its highest. A reporter who was — like anybody who watched the Spurs-Nuggets series — impressed with the all-around play of Denver big man Nikola Jokic had the temerity to suggest that Popovich compare Jokic’s play to that of legendary Spurs Hall of Fame icon Tim Duncan.
Popovich’s face was so swiftly bemused by the dropping of Duncan’s name that the reporter started walking back the suggestion almost as soon as he said it.
Hear from Gregg Popovich after Spurs fall to Nuggets in Game 7 https://t.co/7MJE4MYhN5
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 28, 2019
Went like this:
Reporter: “Your thoughts on Nikola Jokic — you had a great one in Tim Duncan. I don’t want to put him up there with Tim but…”
Popovich: “Yeah I think that’d be a little bit quick.”
Reporter: “Yeah a little bit too early for that.”
That set the stage for Popovich to refuse to elaborate further on Jokic’s present abilities, except to say that “he’s magnificent. Magnificent.”