SAN ANTONIO — There was a lot of talk again that this could be the final run of the Big Three.
No, not that Big Three in Miami. Rather, the San Antonio Big Three of Tim Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili. There was some chatter about Gregg Popovich riding into the sunset or wherever enormously successful coaches ride when they primarily want to fish or play golf.
“Are you trying to push me out the door?” said Popovich, when asked about a successor following his impossible-to-follow act.
Popovich added: “I’d like to continue to coach” beyond this season.
All that breakup and retirement talk politely was shoved aside. There are bigger fish to fry and fairways to conquer, namely finishing off the two-time defending champion Heat. The Spurs, up 3-1 in the NBA Finals after two shockingly easy victories in Miami, get the first of three cracks Sunday.
For nearly a year, the Spurs have been haunted by their failure in the 2013 Finals. Up five with 28.5 seconds left in a Game 6 potential title-clincher, the Spurs unraveled. The Heat won in overtime, then claimed Game 7.
“We’re still in a mourning period,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. “It’s not any time that begins and ends.”
“There is no getting over that. I lost it for the rest of my life,” Boris Diaw said.
“I’m sure guys are always going to think about that Game 6 and 7,” Danny Green said.
So, yeah, before there is any retirement chatter, there is a title to be won.
“We’re 30 seconds away. We feel that we have it in the bag and it slips out of our fingers,” Duncan said. “We learn from that and we say, ‘Hey, it’s not over till it’s over.’ Our goal right now is to just win one more game. We’d love to do it in one game. Luckily we’ve put ourselves in a situation where we have a couple opportunities. … They’re back-to-back champs and they’ve been in this situation before. They have all the confidence in the world they can win these games.”
But the Spurs are not lacking confidence, either, not with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili playing like their biological clocks have been reset, not with younger guys Kawhi Leonard and Green playing like vets.
“Before the year started, we had a goal to come back here and win it,” Leonard said. “We felt like we were a better team from that experience [by] me and Danny going through our first Finals and learning how it is.”
Leonard learned well. The 2011 draft night trade pickup was the best player on the floor in Miami.
“We’d be foolish to say we knew Kawhi would be who he is today,” Buford said of the acquisition generally seen as the Spurs future.
From what everyone said Saturday, next season sure sounds like it will contain the Big Three.
“I’ve had nobody tell me anything in regards to whether they are or they aren’t. That’s not our concern right now,” Buford said when asked specifically about Duncan and Popovich returning.
“I don’t have any plans on doing anything,” Duncan said. “I’m not saying I’m retiring. I’m not saying I’m not retiring. I’m not saying anything. I’m going to figure it out as it goes. I’ve always said if I feel like I’m effective, if I feel like I can contribute, I’ll continue to play. Right now I feel that way.”
Ginobili waved off the talk: “It’s just irrelevant at this point.”
Parker laughed when asked about the end.
“For the last seven, eight years [they] keep saying the same stuff that we’re done and it’s the last run,” Parker said. “We’re getting older … but we always come back and just keep pushing the limits.”
And all they care about is one more victory. Whether they get it or not, there always will be the specter that one day, this magnificent core will be no more. Buford was asked what will it be like, minus Duncan and Popovich.
“It will be numbing and changing. That will be hard,” Buford said. “Why are we even talking about this?”