Whether he’s happy or angry, Gregg Popovich is always the best quote in the NBA. But after his San Antonio Spurs endured a hellacious beatdown at the hands of the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, Pop was surprisingly in the mood for jokes — albeit very dark ones.
Popovich said of the loss, “I’m just glad my general manager wasn’t in the locker room, because it might’ve gotten me fired,” a direct reference to the series of events that reportedly caused Cavaliers GM David Griffin to fire David Blatt.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Griffin walked into the Cavs’ locker room after they beat the Clippers on January 22, didn’t like the mood, and decided it was the last straw after a series of signs that Blatt didn’t have the respect of the players. To make such a move on a team that’s leading the Eastern Conference rubbed a lot of other head coaches the wrong way, and it appears Popovich noticed, as well.
Of course, Popovich’s attempt at levity in the midst of an unhappy, post-blowout press conference flew over the heads of the gathered reporters, leaving Pop to look around, dismayed, for the light of recognition to dawn on one person’s face. One would hope that after the clip ended, Pop would have pointed to the back and said, “That guy gets it!”
