Pop’s Un-formula

At ESPN, Elaine Teng states the obvious: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg “Pop” Popovich has an unequalled record of success. Since he took over the Spurs twenty years ago, his teams have never failed to make the playoffs. In all sports, the closest contender is Pittsburgh’s NHL Penguins, with a measly eleven straight playoff appearances.

The formula? The secret is that the Spurs don’t have a formula, or that they keep changing it: “Whether it’s corner 3s or DNP-rests, analytics or a commitment to international players—the Spurs did it first, which means they stay ahead of the rest.”

Once everyone else catches on, they change things up: “When the NBA zigs, the Spurs zag. Pop’s team adopted the corner 3, basketball’s most efficient shot, long before those Splash Brothers Warriors did. When everyone else caught on—and started guarding the perimeter—the Spurs turned to the open midrange.”

Defense has been a constant. The Spurs have had one of the three best defensive teams in 16 out of the 20 years Pop has been coaching. Developing talent has also been a constant. As the Spurs “Big Three” age and begin to retire, Kawhi Leonard has taken over, resembling Tim Duncan in being among the un-flashiest stars in professional sports. Having played with the old Spurs, Leonard carries a lot of institutional memory and will bring the Spurs brand to the next generation when he’s ready to retire.

Pop himself is the father of the un-formula. It must be tempting for a highly successful coach to conclude that he’s got it all figured out, that he can settle in and coast with tactics from last year, or an earlier decade. He’s nearly 70, but Pop has never settled in. 

But there’s something deeper going on. From what I can tell from the handful of cranky un-interviews I’ve seen, one of Pop’s main contributions to the Spurs, to the NBA, to professional sports, is to remind everyone of the frivolity of it all. He’s built a basketball dynasty on the premise that basketball ain’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. May his tribe increase.