Gregg Popovich’s locker room message may have inspired Spurs’ Game 4 response

Gregg Popovich may no longer be the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, but his influence remains the heartbeat of the organization as they battle the Oklahoma City Thunder. Following a disappointing Game 3 loss, a private locker room visit from the legendary figure was recently brought to light by Carter Bryant.

Bryant revealed that Popovich’s message after the Game 3 defeat was remarkably simple: “Be better. Nothing more, nothing less. I mean, it’s a direct message, and the best thing when you’re in a situation like this is a direct message.” Popovich, who led the Spurs as head coach for 29 seasons before retiring last summer.

Bryant noted that the clarity of the message allowed the team to stop overthinking and start executing, which directly led to their emphatic 103-82 victory in Game 4 to tie the series. “So to us, we had to be better, we came out executing and we saw the outcome,” the rookie added.

Fox details the surprise interaction with Popovich

De’Aaron Fox shared more about the intensity of the moment during a post-game interview on NBC. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen that. Trainers, everybody’s in there. We close the doors, we don’t let anybody know what’s going on in here. … We open that door, we see Pop come in, and it’s like, ‘Awwww,’” Fox recalled.

It was the first time all season Popovich walked in immediately after a game to deliver a reality check. “Pop’s been around throughout the course of the season, but that was the first time he walked into the locker room and was like, ‘Nah, that’s b—–, that’s not how we play basketball,’” Fox explained to Tracy McGrady on NBC.

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The fiery feedback clearly lit a spark, as the Spurs responded by holding the Thunder to only 82 points just 48 hours later in Game 4. Early in the NBA postseason Victor Wembanyama echoed the importance of these interventions.