In making history, Popovich allows himself some joy
They were coming for him now, from all sides, and to scowl or to bark or to run would have been futile. So for 11 whole seconds, the winningest coach in the history of the NBA allowed his players to forget everything he’d ever taught them.
And when he walked off the AT&T Center floor, he did with not only the 1,336th regular-season victory of his career, but also the relief of having put a record chase he called “undeserving and quite awkward” behind him. By 2019 he’d not only atoned for that disappointment with a fifth championship, he’d also broken the league’s career record for total coaching victories. For whatever reason, thought, that one isn’t as celebrated as regular-season mark, which until Friday had been held by Don Nelson, the guy who gave Popovich a job when he was out of work 30 years ago.
And after Dejounte Murray spearheaded a closing run that personified Popovich’s timeworn mantra of “pounding the rock” — a credo of persistence he borrowed from reformer Jacob Riis — the players made up their minds.“Tonight he had to enjoy it,” said Murray, who in the locker room presented Popovich with a game ball before the coach was doused with water. “There was no other option.”
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