In a sense, it’s Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s job to watch the Golden State Warriors. They’re his team’s toughest competitor in the Western Conference, and he has to know what they’re up to in order to beat them.
But that’s not why Pop watches Golden State. In fact, he tunes in to Warriors games for the same reason the rest of us do: because they’re so much fun. Via 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 was asked about whether the Warriors adding Kevin Durant to a historically great team was unfair to the rest of the league. His respond: How can you blame them?
“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.”
Sure it can be fun for fans when two competing teams despise each other and talk trash and throw elbows and all of that, but there’s something really nice about rivals who genuinely respect each other. Popovich, who seems like an eminently reasonable man, is able to see the beauty in how the Warriors play, to recognize Golden State not only as a rival but also a brilliant team. Basketball ultimately isn’t all that important, so you might as well enjoy it.
Of course, Popovich will do all he can to topple Golden State if the teams face off in the NBA Finals. But if he does take down the Warriors, he’ll have an appreciation for how great a team he’s beating.
