MY ACCOUNT
The outstanding coaching career of Gregg Popovich reached new heights with the San Antonio Spurs’ victory over the Utah Jazz.
San Antonio’s 104-102 triumph on Friday marked career win number 1,336 for Popovich, taking him past Don Nelson for the most by a coach in NBA history.
It is yet another remarkable achievement by one of the finest coaches to ever grace the NBA sideline.
In celebration of Popovich’s latest accomplishment, we look at five of the greatest feats of his career.
The first title
It might not have been the hardest Finals success of Popovich’s career, but the first title in franchise history is always a memorable one, and he delivered that for the Spurs in 1999.
San Antonio earned the one seed in the Western Conference and the Spurs subsequently blitzed their way through the playoffs, losing only one game en route to the Finals.
And the fairytale New York Knicks, who had reached the Finals as the eighth seed in the East, proved no match for David Robinson, Tim Duncan and the Spurs.
Indeed, without the injured Patrick Ewing, the Knicks were overpowered and Avery Johnson’s game-winning shot with 47 seconds left in Game 5 clinched a 4-1 series triumph for the Spurs, with Popovich able to celebrate his first title at the Mecca of basketball.
Kawhi holds off LeBron
Having tasted defeat to the Miami Heat in seven games a year earlier, Popovich and the Spurs pulled off the most impressive of their five NBA title wins in 2014 by getting revenge on Erik Spoelstra’s star-studded team.
In what proved to be the final series of LeBron James’ career with the Heat, the superior roster depth of the Spurs proved the difference against Miami’s big three as they prevailed 4-1 over LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Co.
Having split the first two games in San Antonio, the Spurs swept their two games in South Florida and then wrapped things up as Kawhi Leonard’s double-double inspired a 104-87 win in Game 5.
In large part for his defensive effort against James, Leonard was named Finals MVP. His field goal percentage of 61.2 was the highest by a Finals MVP until Giannis Antetokoumpo surpassed it in 2021 with 61.8 per cent.
Those 18 consecutive 50-win seasons
As his record-setting number of wins indicates, consistent success has defined Popovich’s career with the Spurs, who comfortably hold the NBA record for most successive 50-win seasons.
From 1999-2000 to 2016-17, the Spurs won at least 50 games for 18 consecutive campaigns, the final year in that run among one of the most impressive as San Antonio racked up 61 victories while playing in a Western Conference featuring a Golden State Warriors team playing their first season with Kevin Durant.
The Spurs were swept by the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, though Game 1 suggested it would have been a much different series had Leonard not suffered an injury that ended his season.
San Antonio’s 18-season run will take some beating, as the Los Angeles Lakers are next on the list with a 12-season run between 1979-80 and 1990-91.
Olympic gold
Popovich took over from Mike Krzyzewski as head coach of Team USA and met expectations by delivering the gold amid the strange backdrop of a pandemic Olympics at the delayed Tokyo 2020.
The USA recovered from an opening defeat to France to once again take the gold, avenging the loss to Les Bleus with an 87-82 win over the same opposition in the final.
After a build-up to the Games in which many questions were raised about the strength in depth of the USA team and a poor start to the competition, the hard-fought triumph added further gloss to the CV of a coach many consider to be the greatest of all time.
The record win
The 2021-22 season has not been one to remember for the Spurs, but a surprise defeat of the Jazz at least gave Popovich a memorable moment in a trying campaign.
San Antonio trailed 74-64 going into the final quarter, but the Spurs racked up 40 across the final frame to improve their record to 26-41 and, more importantly, secure history for their coach, Dejounte Murray the star of the show with 27 for the game.
“Basketball is a team sport,” Popovich said afterwards. “All of us share in this record. It’s not mine. It’s ours.”
With Popovich’s NBA career showing no signs of imminently coming to an end, he should have plenty of opportunities to extend his lead at the top of the all-time standings and make his record extremely difficult to beat.
