The San Antonio Spurs haven't come back from down 2-0 in any playoff series since 2008, and they got some words of wisdom from Gregg Popovich before Monday's Game 3.
The San Antonio Spurs have had more postseason success than most franchises in the NBA. With their five titles, only the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics can boast more championships than they can.
Currently, the Spurs are down 2-0 in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks. While it's not an insurmountable lead, it is a massive deficit, and history points to the Spurs eventually losing. The Spurs have come back from a 2-0 hole only once before, in the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals against the New Orleans Hornets.
In that series, the Spurs were the lower seed, but were the defending champions. Chris Paul and David West were excellent for the Hornets, with Peja Stojaković spacing the floor and Tyson Chandler holding down the paint, but the Spurs' experience and legendary core proved too much.
That was 18 years ago, and the Spurs turned to the same man who helped get them out of that jam to get them out of this one.
Gregg Popovich Remains Present for Spurs
Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest postseason coaches of all time, and in 2008, down 2-0, he added Manu Ginobili to the starting lineup, sitting and aging Michael Finley after he averaged just 8.5 inefficient points in the first two games.
Ginobili, of course, was a career Sixth Man for the Spurs, although when they needed to close games out, he was always on the floor. With their backs against the wall in that series, Popovich made the call.
In 2026, the Spurs are still turning to him and his wisdom.
"We talked to Pop before we flew down here, and pretty much his message was just let the last two games go, you know, it happened," said Stephon Castle upon arriving in NYC for Game 3. "They were very winnable games, and we thought we gave them those games, but maybe we got to let those go and focus on the next one. We feel like the next game is the most important game of the series, so trying to come into that and win it."
Most fans on both sides would agree that Game 3 will set the tone for the rest of the series.
Of course, Popovich only coached Castle for only five games before a stroke ended his career on the sidelines. Castle was a rookie, but Popovich's impact on the young roster is felt, and he's a staple of team workouts at the Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio.
The Spurs pulled a trick from their sleeve back in 2008, and are hoping that they can capture magic in a bottle once again. It remains to be seen if Mitch Johnson will make a drastic change to the lineup as Popovich did against New Orleans, but time is running out.
