For the first three games of the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs hardly looked like themselves. They traded blows in Oklahoma City, but by the end of Game 3, they were simply left floored, surrendering 15-0 run right out of the gate. That resulted in a  123-108 loss that put them down 2-1 in the series.  That was the exact moment the franchise’s ultimate anchor decided it was time to issue a fierce reality check.

Gregg Popovish, who had intentionally kept his distance all season to let head coach Mitch Johnson and the young roster grow, stepped out of the front office and walked straight to the locker room. And well, if you know what exactly he said, De’Aaron Fox shed the ‘nastiness’ that transpired behind the scenes.

“We lost Game 3. Pop’s been around throughout the course of the season, but that was the first time he walked into the locker room and was like ‘Nah, that’s BS, that’s not how we play basketball,'” Fox said on the NBC postgame show. “And obviously, he had some choice words for us.” And for sure, his strong words worked, because Game 4 was different altogether.

The Spurs didn;t just win, they crushed the Thunders 103-82. They chocked out the league’s stronger offense and forced MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into a sad 6-for-15 shooting night, and punched back with a ferocious 16-0 run of their own. The sheer contract is staggering.

Meanwhile, because Popovish had intentionally withheld his voice in the locker room for months, his sudden appearance carried weight. He didn’t hover or micromanage. He simply reminded them of the Spurs standard. Also, when he speaks everyone listens, because he has a personal connect with the team, even though he is sat at the front office now.

In fact Photos emerged before Game 3 against the Thunder, where Popovich was sitting with Wembanyama at the Spurs’ shoot-around. . Even after Game 4 against the Timberwolves, where Wemby was ejected for elbowing Naz Reid, Coach Pop was spotted talking to Victor Wembanyama.

Speaking about this, Wemby said, “He maybe wanted to make a statement, or make his talking even more impactful, by being there. He gives feedback and talks to us regularly throughout our series, throughout our games. As always, when he speaks, everybody listens.”

Victor Wembanyama has had just one full season with Coach Pop, and yet their relationship is just as strong. Similarly, even rookies who were drafted last year have only said positive things about Popovich’s impact.

“He’s been a big part of this whole year,” rookie Carter Bryant told The Athletic. “It’s been amazing. Not everybody has the greatest coach of all time just kind of sitting there in their laps. I just try to take it up as much as I can.”

The 20-year-old also stated that the former head coach sends him texts nearly after every game, and they end up speaking on the phone three times a week. With such personal connections from top to bottom in the franchise, Popovich has the right to address the team the way he wants to.

Victor Wembanyama and team took things personally after the Game 3 loss

Getting stops was important for the Spurs, and they did so by limiting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting. In fact, the Thunder, without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, failed to generate meaningful offence and shot just 33% from the field, including 6 for 33 on 3-pointers (18%). San Antonio started Game 4 with the same aggressiveness and went on a 16-0 run that gave the Spurs a 23-8 lead with 4:19 remaining.

“I feel like with who we are, we need to start games like this,” Wembanyama said. “But it really doesn’t mean anything for the way it holds. I mean, it helps for sure, but it’s a whole ‘nother type of effort to be consistent rather than just hitting first.” Wemby and SGA did not feature in the fourth quarter, and the former dominated the matchup.

The current unanimous DPOY had 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in three quarters. Tonight was just the second instance when Shai sat out the fourth quarter, which the Thunder have lost. The series is tied 2-2, and San Antonio’s effort would have left Popovich feeling proud.