Anything beyond the regular season was brand-new territory for this Spurs. With a playoff absence since 2020, historical precedence should have been more believable. Yet, with Victor Wembanyama in the fray, a change in fortune wasn’t exactly out of the picture. And while they moved past Portland to almost realize that very dream, the team got halted in their tracks against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the second round. Anthony Edwards appeared out of nowhere to trump them, and just like that San Antonio’s inexperience was out in the open. But fret not! The answer to their problems was sitting in the same building.

Just hours after the 102-104 loss, in came the OG “El Jefe,” now 77 and partially retired, to assist the young core. Gregg Popovich, lovingly known as Coach Pop, once again showed why he and the Spurs are inseparable. Despite him stepping away from coaching after suffering a stroke in November 2024 (and now a part of the team’s front office), all it took was a stroll into the locker room to help the boys.

Generally, the retired coach has actually been around in smaller phases since the postseason began. He visits the facility. He’s been there multiple times per week, just looking out for the young guys as the president of basketball operations. But the previous loss warranted the five-time champ to analyze film and give advice, as if the room had Tim Duncan instead of Wemby. And after all of it worked out last night, considering the hefty winning 133-95 margin, The Alien didn’t shy away from passing on a tidbit of advice he got.

“[Pop] said, ‘Try and keep the same approach.’ And we’re going to watch film because, as Pop says, ‘When you win, you were never as good as you thought you were and when you lose, you’re never as bad,’ so obviously stay humble and keep working,” Wemby revealed. Well, the advise definitely worked, as not only did the Spurs win Game 2, they also did so while making history.

The historic 38-point margin was reportedly the worst playoff loss in Timberwolves history. And all Wemby and the team needed was a dose of Pop to pull off that feat. The 77-year-old coached the franchise for 29 years and remains the principal, the coach, the mentor, everything packed into one for the Spurs. Even while undergoing rehab, Pop finds time to sit down with Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant, and the youngsters and offers simple advice.

“[Pop’s message was] not to really do anything different from what we’ve been doing all season,” second-year guard Castle said after completing a 62-20 season. “I think he kind of just gave us another perspective on how well we’ve been playing and the position we’ve put ourselves in. So, just keep doing what we’ve been doing to get in those spots… He’s helped me, and a lot of the other guys on the team, just having somebody to talk to. Whether games are going good, games are going bad, just knowing Pop, he’ll always tell you the real.” And Pop’s not alone in the gym. He has an old mentee-turned-pal with him!

Spurs CEO RC Buford had told The Athletic last month that Tim Duncan and other Spurs legends often join him. “It’s because Tim feels the emotional connection to want to be there in the ways that Pop was there for him,” Duncan said. “Anytime people are in town, they’ll be in there.” Keldon Johnson, who’s played five seasons with Popovich and is the longest-tenured current member of the team, maintains a close relationship with the man who shaped his career.

“He stays in touch, he texts me or calls me from time to time, probably every other day,” Johnson said. “I mean, he’s definitely still himself. He’s still sharp. He’s still very much Pop. He has not skipped a beat at all,” Johnson added. Even without the film breakdown, Pop is still the life of the Spurs. Players feel comfortable talking to him, and most importantly, they listen to him. The numbers speak for themselves.

San Antonio built a 24-point halftime lead last night. They stretched that advantage to nearly 50 at one point. Applying constant defensive pressure, holding the Timberwolves to 29.8% shooting in the first half and just 13.3% from three-point range, proved to be crucial. Minnesota simply had no answer and instead committed 22 turnovers while being outscored 29-5 in fast-break points, making matters worse. They never had a chance…

Meanwhile, San Antonio shot a whopping 50% from the field and 41% from three-point range overall, sealing the 133-95 home win. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch simply said, “We got punked.” This was nothing but a classic example of Pop being Pop. Over the years, the NBA legend has mastered the art of having the toughest conversations without feeling like it. A particular story of a certain Keith Langford comes to mind, who described feeling “butterflies” in his stomach because he knew he was going to be cut from the roster. Well, he did end up getting cut, but Popovich was the one to deliver the news respectfully.

“I really think you’re a good player, Keith, and you have a chance to be a high-level player, I see it in you,” Popovich said, sitting beside him in his hotel room back in 2007. “But right now, I couldn’t get you to be aggressive enough. And I think Darius showed a little more aggression than you did. I really felt like you took what I was saying to you and really tried to do it, you just aren’t ready. But I can tell you are really trying.” The two got up and hugged, and that memory remains intact in Langford’s mind till today. Turns out, he didn’t have an unusual experience with Pop, who mastered the skill of “between-the-eyes honesty.”

“I think you have to have accountability,” Popovich once explained the logic that he believes in to this day. “For us, the thing that works best is total, brutal, between-the-eyes honesty. I never try to trick a player or manipulate them, tell them something that I’m going to have to change next week.”

Well, coming back to the present, these conversations have undeniably helped, and the Spurs are now level with the Timberwolves after two games. The series is going to get tougher because it shifts to Minnesota for the next two. Regardless of Ant being on a minutes restriction or not, San Antonio needs to aim to win at least one more in the away ties.

But momentum is a funny thing in sport, you know. Do not be surprised if the Spurs go on to win three straight from here and close the series.