I was on the bench next to Pop at Pomona-Pitzer when we were 2-22. As his assistant I just marveled at how his mind work. For a guy with so much drive, he was so supportive with the kids, who, in some cases, hadn’t made their high school teams. We spent long hours talking basketball and life. I was just two years removed from a tour in Viet Nam and had some problems. But Pop could and would lift my spirits. Then came the day I was transferred by the company I worked for and we had to split. Maybe some day we will meet again. Living in Austin, TX it gives me a smile knowing he is 90 miles away and that we both have white beards. He is truly a good man AND a fine coach.
Wow that's awesome that you got to have 1 on 1 with a basketball genius. That's cool to have some insight to hear how he was early on. Also, thank you for your service good sir.
Didn't he have brutal open tryouts every year where basically everyone had to fight to make the team? Returning players weren't even guaranteed spots. It was essentially a high school program competing on a D3 level. There's also a story of Pop during his time at Pomona when he was watching an NBA game with his assistants, and he turned and said something like, "you know, we're good enough to be right there with them, we just need the opportunity" (massive paraphrase).
Andrew Gaze, an Australian basketball legend and a bench player on that '99 championship team, told a story on a podcast about Pop when Andrew wrote him a letter expressing condolences after Pop's wife passed in 2018. Not only did Pop write back but enclosed a physical photo of Andrew on the bench next to the stars of that 99 team. Andrew figured it must have come from Pop's own archive of photos and he'd taken the time to find one. That's class, even in what would have been a dark time for him
The day Pop fired Bob Hill and took the job himself was the day a 13 year old Spurs fan known as me referred to that as the worst day in Spurs franchise history. Boy how WRONG I was.
SAME! I was so angry. There's all of these fairweather or latecomer fans who think that Pop has always been universally adored. I think most are completely unaware of the history and the sketchiness involved early on.
I watch 1995 magic vs spurs Shaq vs david trash talk each other dunk to dunk but the spurs wins the game and david become mvp of the year greg pop assistant coach that year
The move worked out big time for San Antonio but Hill got a raw deal, there was no way he could've won in 1997 with David Robinson missing almost that entire season and Sean Elliott missing over half the games that season.
i think the most hilarious thing , and quite ironic , is that the so called "assistant with assistant ideas" turned his own assistants into a dozen nba coaches , and the last 4 coaches in the nba finals were under him as assistant aswell. It's for me whats puts him ahead of anyone as the GOAT coach
THIS comment here takes the cake. Almost half the league that’s coaching right now was either coached by or assisted coached next to the 🐐 Gregg Popovich 🫡 👏
San Antonio always found players that no one wanted that turned out to be contributors (Jaren Jackson, Bruce Bowen, Gary Neal), because as Bruce pointed out "Others focused on what you can't do as a player, while Pop focuses on what you can". That is why I have always loved San Antonio as an organization.
And that approach was passed down to Steve Kerr, who was with Popovich during Spurs twin towers era. Brought that to Warriors, and applied well. Popovich sphere of influence tree should be a story of itself.
A note on Pop getting the GM job in San Antonio: when Red McCombs sold the Spurs in 93, many of the new owners had been minority owners previously, so they knew Pop from his first run as an assistant. They initially wanted to bring him in as assistant GM to work under Bob Bass. But Bass resigned at the end of the year so they just gave Pop the GM job. It was clear to those around him though that his ultimate goal was to be a head coach. He had no front office experience. He'd only spent a few years in the NBA as an assistant. It was a bizarre hire since most of his career was as a D3 coach. So it wasn't a surprise to people around him that he eventually fired Bob Hill and named himself HC. The problem was that Hill had 2 great regular seasons, so it was definitely a shady move that made him despised by the local fans UNTIL they won the '99 title.
The decision to fire Hill wasn't fully vindicated until his stint with Seattle ended with a 53-81 record with that team...by which point Pop and the Spurs were already on their way to their 4th NBA title.
@@Chuck_EL The best reporters, like Sager and Doris Burke, were just looking forward to what he’d say. They knew they’d never get a real quote, so they were just along for the ride!
No channel would give the Spurs the respect like Secret Base does. I've been a Spurs fan since the 2007 title when I first moved here, and really enjoy the culture. Pop is an amazing coach and has shaped the game of basketball in this age.
Not really. Secret base's videos on the spurs were on most of them losing. And in videos where they won the game ( harden and Manu rewind) they barely talk about the spurs there. On David and Shaq's beef they called David petty for trying to win the scoring title.
@@PuchuKt it’s shitty for that guy..but pragmatically it was clearly right. So the issue of if it’s moral or not is kind of a non-sequitor. It’s a business. Besides it’s not like that guy lost his life, they are all rich.
Honestly you guys could do a Prism on Doc Rivers as well. From championship winning coach with the '08 Celtics to repeated playoff choker with the Clippers and perhaps even the Sixers
@Fries It was a lot of sh_t I wouldn't have picked for 75th Anniversary.. As much as I love Doc Rivers dude is overrated as a Coach and was average as a player.. Just calling it like I see it.. not only him neither.. it's players and coaches that didn't even belong there neither..
@@kenrickkahn Agreed. He had a handful of good seasons as a player and has definitely been a bad “top tier” coach and 08 is only an outlier because of how stacked that team was.
Doc has been riding that one Championship for too many years now. Honestly, if Pop ever decided to change team, he will be unemployed for about 2 seconds. Steve Ballmer might back a Brink Trunk on his driveway just to make a point.
He's not even the reason why the '08 Celtics won their championship (like remember, they went to a Game 7 twice in that playoffs, and one against a LeBron James who's not playing well and is carrying a bunch of bystanders). He got extremely lucky that his team has 4 All-Star caliber players playing on their natural positions.
When SA started the lockout season (1998-99) 6-8, it was reported Pop was a loss away to get sacked. Avery Johnson, alongside new hire Mario Elie, rallied the team the next game (beating Houston, no less) and finished 37-13 all the way to franchise's first title. Speaking of Doc, he was in the 1994-95 Spurs. He could play a critical role but he was injured in the Houston series.
i live in san antonio, he comes in to eat at a restaurant i work at pretty frequently. very nice guy, very approachable, and when he leaves after eating, he tips the server well and tips the chefs in the kitchen. i think one christmas, he tipped every staff member working front of the house and back of the house, tipped every staff member a couple hundred bucks!
@@janoycresnova9156 A guy who lives in San Antonio, coaches the San Antonio basketball team, and makes millions going to a restaurant he enjoys and tipping people. Obviously could never happen because celebrities are mythical creatures who don't exist on the same plane of reality as us plebs.
@@janoycresnova9156 There is an amazing 2019 ESPN article about Pop's legendary team dinners, and his imprint on the culinary world. Apparently he is very well known for being quite generous on a regular basis. Just a small excerpt, although the whole article is definitely worth reading: "In 2017, he reportedly left a $5,000 tip on a bill of $815.73 at a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, but one restaurant owner who's served Popovich many times reports that he'll often tip $10,000 on a "nothing meal," order bottles of wine for the kitchen staff and, upon leaving the restaurant, pull out a thick wad of cash and ask that it be delivered directly to said staff."
As a long time Edmonton Oilers fan and fan of the "Moment in History" series, I would really love to see an episode on Game 5 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, when Fernando Pisani scored the first ever shorthanded game winning goal in finals history in the NHL. He single handedly kept the Edmonton Oilers alive in their quest to win an unlikely title as the 8th seed in the Western Conference in 2006 and despite losing a tight game 7, that goal is one that has not been forgotten in the hockey world. There is a lot of super interesting back story for both the Hurricanes and the Oilers of that season, so I believe it to be an iconic moment that would make a great video.
Gregg Popovich is, without question, one of the greatest coaches in pro sports history. The true genius of Pop is this: 1: Pop is willing to be both a defense-first coach AND an offense-first coach. 2: His system always emphasizes substance over style. 3: The team is always more important than the individual, even if you have a great, transcendent superstar like Tim Duncan.
@@janoycresnova9156 What Coach don't have star players?? Yeah true you must be able to do it with different guys but players like Tim Duncan don't come around everyday.. Duncan was the complete package.. Only 4 players I can say that about is Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and John Stockton.. all was good at both ends of the floor..
I've never clapped after a video, but God damn this was so well made, researched, and articulated with witt and scarcasm and humor and poise. Wonderful and beautiful video. So much it feels wrong to call it that. Let's say project or presentation 😊😎
The Spurs aren't successful without Pop. This reminded me how he was the GM that picked Manu & Tony. Without those two, this Spurs team doesn't become a dynatsy
Secret Base is killing it with these series especially these PRISIMs I love the extra perspectives that y'all give to these legends rather they reached their potential, over achieved it or fell short.
That "Nobody is any one person" line from the Falcons Dorktown must've really sent reverberations through the whole crew for you guys to make a whole ass series out of it
Got to love how the "dictator" was unsure if he deserved a shot in the pros in the first place, and actually listened to his players and drew up formations that fit his players' needs better while still being good for the team to score & defend. I'd like to know how and when he developed the confidence to seize control of the team though, that sounds like it could be an ESPN series on its own.
I’d love for an interviewer to ask him about it in detail, and to actually hear him talk about it and go over what his rationale and thought process was, because that move was delusional at worst and extremely ballsy at best, and he’s pretty lucky it worked out like it did. Not to take away from his coaching talent, which is obviously the best of the best, but to make a move like that you’re seriously reducing your margin for error, and even though he’s the goat he could have easily ran into some bad luck that would have gotten him fired, and it would have been tough for him to find another job after such a naked power grab.
@@Wooden_iguana14 one of the underrated great things about pop was he let his players play just made sure they got the bigger picture in terms of team and played defense , he wasnt a yeller he was just low key and stoic, he just loved trolling the media to keep the focus on him and not his players...a great overall coach and human being
Really enjoyed this. Big fan of Pop and his people-centric ethic. He knows how to make a team want to win and, further, want to win as much for him as they do themselves. That's a major secret in the art of champions. As an aside: really love the narrator's voice. She's perfect for this medium.
I'm enjoying this Prism series a lot, interesting stuff. And Clara Morris' voice is so smooth and relaxing I'd probably watch a video of her just reading the instruction manual for Mega Man IV on the NES.
I'm Italian, I was furius when Pop fired Bob Hill in 97. He his genius and very lucky man. Mc Dermott sign him as gm when he is assistent coach at Golden State, raccomended by his wife (friend of Pop wife), select Duncan (other team have better chance) and he could lose his job in 1999 before Houston game. Incredible story.
Having a retrospective about Pop is also a sign of getting old, but no complaints. Borrowing Pop's line: I'm blessed and "fortunate enough" to reach this far in life while having "fallen comrades" along the way. Sure, he had Tim Duncan. But remember TD almost moved to Orlando. One article in 2000s suggests David Robinson postponing his Hawaii trip was the convincing factor for TD to stay. It took over a decade TD's relationship with Pop had the last say (see "Champions Revealed", available here at YT) which further detailed by TD in his moving HOF speech when Pop went out of his way to get to know TD personally with his family/friends by visiting St. Croix few days after the 1997 Draft. Pop may never surpass Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach in ring totals, but he surpassed both for creating a coaching/front office tree and made themselves great (even HOF-bound) in their own right. He paid it forward, constantly thanking Larry Brown and Don Nelson whenever the media bringing up his achievements. Steve Kerr both played under Jackson and Pop. It should be noted when the coaching opportunity came, he heeded Pop's input over Jackson, with the latter wooing him to coach NY. Most (if not all) of the Warriors bandwagon ignores this backstory. And amidst his greatness, he never forget where he comes from. He knows and teaches life is always bigger than basketball. That before aiming to be one of the best in basketball, be the best human being first (which Kawhi Leonard failed to figure out; Pop took the high road).
I can't see a coach that would've get the 2014 ring with that Spurs outside of Greg Popovich, he is the greatest basketball mind we've seen coaching a NBA team
please please do one on troy aikman. he's not a very statistically pleasing qb but his off the scenes work with the cowboys along with dealing runours and drama in the 90s is truly fascinating.
Man Phil Jackson really has the balls to say put asterisks to titles when they had the league cheating against the godddamn Sacramento Kings. And the year prior against the Jailblazers. I'd say put asterisks on those 2 titles.
That wasn't the first time the league rigged a playoff series for the Lakers, particularly when the Lakers were in immediate danger of losing the series. That distinction goes all the way back to the Showtime era, when the refs called a phantom foul on Bill Laimbeer in the waning seconds.
Greg Popovich is easily the best NBA coach ever. I know Phil Jackson gets a lot of accolades and praise, and he does deserve it. However, Pop helped bring a fire to the Spurs and take the NBA by storm. He coached team after team to give it their all and so much more. He taught them the fundamentals of basketball of working together and being cohesive. He always got the best out of his team. His legacy extends to coaching as well. Steve Kerr, who played for the Spurs briefly, took what he learned and saw from Pop to become a coach as well. Now he's coaching a championship team with Golden State with his own Big Three. Mike Budenholzer was a former assistant to Pop, and he coached the Bucks to their first Finals championship since 1971. Becky Hammon was another assistant who now coaches the Las Vegas Aces for the WNBA and is in the Finals. There's so many coaches that learned and have passed on what Pop has taught them. Our time on top is over and the Spurs are struggling, but I'm forever grateful for what Coach Pop has done for the Spurs. He's a once in a lifetime coach and I'll never forget the good times we had. Whoever takes his place I hope continues to carry on what Pop has taught and keep the legacy going.
Phil did the same though. Phil brought the Bulls out of mediocrity and made them a dynasty. Then when the lakers were failing with shaq and Kobe he made them work together for another threepeat. Then He won again with Just Kobe. People act Like Phil always had a good situation. He didn’t he did however take good situations and make them better.
Steve Kerr got the best of both worlds playing under Jackson in Chicago and Pop in San Antonio, he's been able to use everything he learned from both guys quite well coaching Golden State.
@@alexanderguerrero347 Phil was a lot more rigid than Pop. PJ wasn’t able to adjust after the triangle offense hit its sell-by date & was no longer a viable offensive scheme in the NBA. Jackson also had the benefit of playing in destination cities while they were still destination cities. San Antonio, as Charles Barkley likes to remind people, is not the kind of city most NBA stars dream of playing in…😉 (I should add that I do think that Phil IS an all-time great coach. I just don’t rank him quite as highly as as I rank Pop.)
@@coreyrowe4119 Kerr’s defo working his way into his upper-tier of all-time-great coaches. And Like Pop, he’s been able to keep his team playing at a (mostly) championship level for a long time in an era when most teams don’t have much more than a 3-5 year window.
Hill basically fizzled out after getting fired and never had a real HC job again. He probably got screwed over the most but it led to the Spurs' dynasty
Someone I know who's 9 years older than me told me back in 2008, when the Warriors were bad, he shouted at Tony Parker, "Monta Ellis is about to light you up." At halftime, Parker had 24.
I'm afraid 02 won't be the last time the league will rig late round playoff series in favor of the Lakers when they're in immediate danger of being eliminated, mainly because it wasn't the first time either (they did it in Game 6 of the 88 Finals as well).
@@coreyrowe4119 the league also wanted to salvage a Lakers dynasty. Stern loved his big markets so much that he rigged 2 title runs in favor of the Lakers and a Draft Lottery in favor of the Knicks (let's also not forget his infamous Dream Finals being Lakers vs Lakers)
Lifelong Spurs fan - damn you are good at these! :) Thank you again for such a great trip down memory lane! I am not ashamed to admit that I hated Pop for firing Hill and arrogantly making himself coach. What the Admiral and co had built seemed to be crumbling all around... I was even pissed that he took Timmy over Van Horn, who I thought was going to be a perfect fit with David while Tim and he would be too hard to put on the court at the same time. I learned a lot from that draft day through the 1999 season, lol.
Coach Pop is a legend legend. Classy, smart, no nonsense, humble,but above all else, human. He wasn't perfect, and he'd be the first to tell you what he or his guys needed to improve on even after a win. If I was any good at b ball, I would play for him!
I liked Robinson and the Spurs in the 1990s. I remember avidly disliking Gregg Popovich for firing Bob Hill in a tank season. It's funny how winning a lot of championships will change public opinion about you.
My dad used to tell me about how unpopular pop was in his first season with the spurs and I never really could believe it. He said the joke going around the state at the time was that he needed to do what any good GM would fire the coach
they didnt want to give Pop credit for coaching the Spurs to that chip...because that was a lockout shortened year(1999)..but he silenced the critics many Xs over since then
Not sure if the narrator and the writer are the same person but the delivery of the witty one liners peppered into the story is phenomenal. Great work guys.
I remember the one time where the Spurs nearly considered firing Pop after a dismal 6-8 start in the 1999 lockout-shortened season and this was one time talked about in Chris Miles' NBA TV segment in 2018 "What If". I'm glad they didn't and now he's a myth and an all-time legendary head coach. Thanks Chris.
What the Spurs are doing now might be more genius than anything Pop did, which is absolutely amazing. The entire league is PRAYING No. 1 doesn't fall into our lap. If it does, the Dynasty is back and its payback on the L that tried to forget the Spurs.
@@Chigz10 Nobody said right now. Nobody said anything about Pop being part of the equation. And if you kept up with the league, EVERYONE is eying the Spurs. Solid young core, more trade assets than just about anyone. If Wenbenyama falls into our lap after 1 tanking season... ...it's a wrap. Gotta learn to comprehend a little better and also...just keep up with the league a little more.
I'm surprised the players weren't more publicly supportive of Pop. I feel like they could have prevented his job from being so at-risk in the first place. But maybe that was only because players didn't have the same power in that era idk
There's actually a story that Duncan chose to return to San Antonio largely because Doc wouldn't allow Tim's girlfriend on the team plane, allowing Pop and Robinson to make a last minute pitch to keep him. Doc is honestly a joke whether this is true or not. Got carried to a title by the Big 3 and Tom Thibodeau and is a career underachiever.
It was his mom but yes that’s the story on it. At the time people still thought grant hill had all time potential. Timmy and tmac would’ve been wild asf
Saying someone that played at the highest level and had a long career as a player and then became a coach at the highest level and had a long career and won a championship a ‘career underachiever’ is stupid
Great job as always, Clara! I grew up as a Spurs fan who adored (and still adores) Pop and Timmy, and you got him so right. I always thought that 1999 ring got underestimated, because the Spurs literally lost 2 games in the playoffs! The only teams who lost less are the 2001 Lakers and 2017 Warriors, yet you don't see San Antonio in the same conversation-but we should, because Pop is better than either of the coaches who won the 2001 or 2017 rings.
I was on the bench next to Pop at Pomona-Pitzer when we were 2-22. As his assistant I just marveled at how his mind work. For a guy with so much drive, he was so supportive with the kids, who, in some cases, hadn’t made their high school teams. We spent long hours talking basketball and life. I was just two years removed from a tour in Viet Nam and had some problems. But Pop could and would lift my spirits. Then came the day I was transferred by the company I worked for and we had to split. Maybe some day we will meet again. Living in Austin, TX it gives me a smile knowing he is 90 miles away and that we both have white beards. He is truly a good man AND a fine coach.
Wow that's awesome that you got to have 1 on 1 with a basketball genius. That's cool to have some insight to hear how he was early on.
Also, thank you for your service good sir.
Didn't he have brutal open tryouts every year where basically everyone had to fight to make the team? Returning players weren't even guaranteed spots. It was essentially a high school program competing on a D3 level.
There's also a story of Pop during his time at Pomona when he was watching an NBA game with his assistants, and he turned and said something like, "you know, we're good enough to be right there with them, we just need the opportunity" (massive paraphrase).
@@randomtees well he was definitely right on that statement 🤣 now hes the GOAT.
He’s a woke virtue signaling hypocrite.
@@PD-we8vf kick rocks, be respectful of this dudes story man.
Andrew Gaze, an Australian basketball legend and a bench player on that '99 championship team, told a story on a podcast about Pop when Andrew wrote him a letter expressing condolences after Pop's wife passed in 2018.
Not only did Pop write back but enclosed a physical photo of Andrew on the bench next to the stars of that 99 team. Andrew figured it must have come from Pop's own archive of photos and he'd taken the time to find one. That's class, even in what would have been a dark time for him
The day Pop fired Bob Hill and took the job himself was the day a 13 year old Spurs fan known as me referred to that as the worst day in Spurs franchise history. Boy how WRONG I was.
I'm not a Spurs fan and even i was like "whoTF does this guy think he is?!"
SAME! I was so angry. There's all of these fairweather or latecomer fans who think that Pop has always been universally adored. I think most are completely unaware of the history and the sketchiness involved early on.
I watch 1995 magic vs spurs Shaq vs david trash talk each other dunk to dunk but the spurs wins the game and david become mvp of the year greg pop assistant coach that year
The move worked out big time for San Antonio but Hill got a raw deal, there was no way he could've won in 1997 with David Robinson missing almost that entire season and Sean Elliott missing over half the games that season.
@@randomtees tbf most new fans probably weren’t alive or don’t remember 1997 lol
i think the most hilarious thing , and quite ironic , is that the so called "assistant with assistant ideas" turned his own assistants into a dozen nba coaches , and the last 4 coaches in the nba finals were under him as assistant aswell.
It's for me whats puts him ahead of anyone as the GOAT coach
The Gregg Poppovich coaching tree should be a lot more celebrated, for sure!
Not to mention that a third of the teams are coached by people who worked under him in some way or form
Yeah you don’t just reach the top, it’s how you brought up others along the way
THIS comment here takes the cake. Almost half the league that’s coaching right now was either coached by or assisted coached next to the 🐐 Gregg Popovich 🫡 👏
@@chaosgreyblood it's literally one of the most celebrated things in pro sports concerning coaching
1 Vince Lombardi
2 Moneyball
3 Gregg's coach tree
I love Clara's delivery, the sarcasm, the nuances... She's so good at narrating these stories!
She and Seth are excellent storytellers.
@@dp2120 i always grin with joy when i hear clara's voice in any secret base videeo
The matter o factly approach makes you feel like you are in the know, and this is just a discussion disguising a sport infodump.
I laughed out loud at „babies can’t do anything“
Yessss
San Antonio always found players that no one wanted that turned out to be contributors (Jaren Jackson, Bruce Bowen, Gary Neal), because as Bruce pointed out "Others focused on what you can't do as a player, while Pop focuses on what you can". That is why I have always loved San Antonio as an organization.
And that approach was passed down to Steve Kerr, who was with Popovich during Spurs twin towers era. Brought that to Warriors, and applied well.
Popovich sphere of influence tree should be a story of itself.
He also killed players career and couldn’t do anything with some proven players.
@@mrHoppedupford like?
@@Deoece I am waiting too. ;)
A note on Pop getting the GM job in San Antonio: when Red McCombs sold the Spurs in 93, many of the new owners had been minority owners previously, so they knew Pop from his first run as an assistant. They initially wanted to bring him in as assistant GM to work under Bob Bass. But Bass resigned at the end of the year so they just gave Pop the GM job.
It was clear to those around him though that his ultimate goal was to be a head coach. He had no front office experience. He'd only spent a few years in the NBA as an assistant. It was a bizarre hire since most of his career was as a D3 coach. So it wasn't a surprise to people around him that he eventually fired Bob Hill and named himself HC. The problem was that Hill had 2 great regular seasons, so it was definitely a shady move that made him despised by the local fans UNTIL they won the '99 title.
Side note: After Red McCombs sold the Spurs in 1993, he bought the Vikings in 1999, the same year the Spurs won their first NBA title
@@epiclionsault92 thank you for teaching me something new!
ruclips.net/user/crazytrain3r
The decision to fire Hill wasn't fully vindicated until his stint with Seattle ended with a 53-81 record with that team...by which point Pop and the Spurs were already on their way to their 4th NBA title.
Damn... I never knew any of this before. Appreciate the info
I love his interactions with Craig Sager. I swear someone was cutting onions when Pop spoke with Sager Jr after Craig’s death.
And that was just in Jr's presence! The look on his face is just so grateful and stunned.
Don’t forget his line when Sager returned:
“Glad you’re here-now ask me an inane question.”
Those interactions were awesome. Pop and Craig were friends to the very end.♥🙏🏾
@@withalittlehelpfrom3 as a spurs fan since the early 90s pop's trolling the media always had me in stitches lmao...hes the goat in my book
@@Chuck_EL The best reporters, like Sager and Doris Burke, were just looking forward to what he’d say.
They knew they’d never get a real quote, so they were just along for the ride!
No channel would give the Spurs the respect like Secret Base does. I've been a Spurs fan since the 2007 title when I first moved here, and really enjoy the culture. Pop is an amazing coach and has shaped the game of basketball in this age.
Hate and jealous
right the media constantly kept calling them "boring" because they were flashy, fundemental basketball will always win out to flashy ...pop got that
Uh until their Rewind on the Memorial Day miracle, they only brought up the spurs when talking about their shortcomings
Not really. Secret base's videos on the spurs were on most of them losing. And in videos where they won the game ( harden and Manu rewind) they barely talk about the spurs there. On David and Shaq's beef they called David petty for trying to win the scoring title.
@@kristianpomida8259 Thank you exactly! Suns fan must run the channel lol
Bruh everyone's dropping bangers while I'm in school
when's lunch?
Let's be real why are you not doing school work! Stay focus on school
@@buklau9214 frfr
@@buklau9214 I am just seeing notifications... haven't been able to watch
Great game yesterday though
I think its important to note that the media hates it when coaches treat them indifferently, and it brings bias to their coverage
Yeah but the post bob hill firing slander was warranted, taking over from a successful coach that was dealt a bad hand was a shitty move
@@PuchuKt it’s shitty for that guy..but pragmatically it was clearly right. So the issue of if it’s moral or not is kind of a non-sequitor. It’s a business. Besides it’s not like that guy lost his life, they are all rich.
@Kleatise It was clearly right in hindsight, I’m not mad at the media for doubting if it was right at the time.
absolutely. media’s own importance is compromised if the coaches do not acknowledge their existence
@@PuchuKt I mean, the guy got one more head coaching job in the NBA after the Spurs situation. Clearly they didn’t fire the next Popovich
Honestly you guys could do a Prism on Doc Rivers as well. From championship winning coach with the '08 Celtics to repeated playoff choker with the Clippers and perhaps even the Sixers
@Fries It was a lot of sh_t I wouldn't have picked for 75th Anniversary.. As much as I love Doc Rivers dude is overrated as a Coach and was average as a player.. Just calling it like I see it.. not only him neither.. it's players and coaches that didn't even belong there neither..
@@kenrickkahn Agreed. He had a handful of good seasons as a player and has definitely been a bad “top tier” coach and 08 is only an outlier because of how stacked that team was.
trust the process?
Doc has been riding that one Championship for too many years now.
Honestly, if Pop ever decided to change team, he will be unemployed for about 2 seconds. Steve Ballmer might back a Brink Trunk on his driveway just to make a point.
He's not even the reason why the '08 Celtics won their championship (like remember, they went to a Game 7 twice in that playoffs, and one against a LeBron James who's not playing well and is carrying a bunch of bystanders). He got extremely lucky that his team has 4 All-Star caliber players playing on their natural positions.
The sentence needs to be immortalized:
"Fans wanted to replace popavich with doc rivers."
When SA started the lockout season (1998-99) 6-8, it was reported Pop was a loss away to get sacked.
Avery Johnson, alongside new hire Mario Elie, rallied the team the next game (beating Houston, no less) and finished 37-13 all the way to franchise's first title.
Speaking of Doc, he was in the 1994-95 Spurs. He could play a critical role but he was injured in the Houston series.
Clara Morris is a rock star. Love listening to her stuff. Writer, producer, voice over. I'm gushing, I know.
i live in san antonio, he comes in to eat at a restaurant i work at pretty frequently. very nice guy, very approachable, and when he leaves after eating, he tips the server well and tips the chefs in the kitchen. i think one christmas, he tipped every staff member working front of the house and back of the house, tipped every staff member a couple hundred bucks!
@@janoycresnova9156 um, yeah, it did. Janoy
@@janoycresnova9156 why is that so outlandish to you lol
@@janoycresnova9156 A guy who lives in San Antonio, coaches the San Antonio basketball team, and makes millions going to a restaurant he enjoys and tipping people.
Obviously could never happen because celebrities are mythical creatures who don't exist on the same plane of reality as us plebs.
@@janoycresnova9156 There is an amazing 2019 ESPN article about Pop's legendary team dinners, and his imprint on the culinary world. Apparently he is very well known for being quite generous on a regular basis. Just a small excerpt, although the whole article is definitely worth reading:
"In 2017, he reportedly left a $5,000 tip on a bill of $815.73 at a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, but one restaurant owner who's served Popovich many times reports that he'll often tip $10,000 on a "nothing meal," order bottles of wine for the kitchen staff and, upon leaving the restaurant, pull out a thick wad of cash and ask that it be delivered directly to said staff."
@@beheliteaterexactly thry act like these celebrities gods, n Charlotte u see them all the time
As a long time Edmonton Oilers fan and fan of the "Moment in History" series, I would really love to see an episode on Game 5 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, when Fernando Pisani scored the first ever shorthanded game winning goal in finals history in the NHL. He single handedly kept the Edmonton Oilers alive in their quest to win an unlikely title as the 8th seed in the Western Conference in 2006 and despite losing a tight game 7, that goal is one that has not been forgotten in the hockey world. There is a lot of super interesting back story for both the Hurricanes and the Oilers of that season, so I believe it to be an iconic moment that would make a great video.
Gregg Popovich is, without question, one of the greatest coaches in pro sports history. The true genius of Pop is this:
1: Pop is willing to be both a defense-first coach AND an offense-first coach.
2: His system always emphasizes substance over style.
3: The team is always more important than the individual, even if you have a great, transcendent superstar like Tim Duncan.
I’ve always admired Pop’s willingness to adjust his play style to suit his personnel.
One of the greatest coaches in sports history. I'd love to meet him and shake his hand.
@@janoycresnova9156 What Coach don't have star players?? Yeah true you must be able to do it with different guys but players like Tim Duncan don't come around everyday.. Duncan was the complete package.. Only 4 players I can say that about is Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and John Stockton.. all was good at both ends of the floor..
@@janoycresnova9156 stupid comment
@@janoycresnova9156 You don’t win games with mediocre players lol
@@janoycresnova9156 he's had Duncan for over 90% of his coaching career.
@@mithos92 I wouldn’t trade Duncan either if I had him that long as a coach
For the next prism, you should cover alex smith. He went from bust, to star, to unwanted, and eventually to comeback legend
I've never clapped after a video, but God damn this was so well made, researched, and articulated with witt and scarcasm and humor and poise. Wonderful and beautiful video. So much it feels wrong to call it that. Let's say project or presentation 😊😎
The Spurs aren't successful without Pop. This reminded me how he was the GM that picked Manu & Tony. Without those two, this Spurs team doesn't become a dynatsy
Secret Base is killing it with these series especially these PRISIMs I love the extra perspectives that y'all give to these legends rather they reached their potential, over achieved it or fell short.
The evolution of secret base still wows me. Elite content.
aye Secret Base.. y'all killing it with these PRISM videos 💯 much appreciation and respect to y'all 🙏🏾💯
That "Nobody is any one person" line from the Falcons Dorktown must've really sent reverberations through the whole crew for you guys to make a whole ass series out of it
Got to love how the "dictator" was unsure if he deserved a shot in the pros in the first place, and actually listened to his players and drew up formations that fit his players' needs better while still being good for the team to score & defend.
I'd like to know how and when he developed the confidence to seize control of the team though, that sounds like it could be an ESPN series on its own.
I’d love for an interviewer to ask him about it in detail, and to actually hear him talk about it and go over what his rationale and thought process was, because that move was delusional at worst and extremely ballsy at best, and he’s pretty lucky it worked out like it did. Not to take away from his coaching talent, which is obviously the best of the best, but to make a move like that you’re seriously reducing your margin for error, and even though he’s the goat he could have easily ran into some bad luck that would have gotten him fired, and it would have been tough for him to find another job after such a naked power grab.
Having Tim Duncan would help just about anybody’s confidence as a coach
He made the move before Duncan, though.
@@Wooden_iguana14 one of the underrated great things about pop was he let his players play just made sure they got the bigger picture in terms of team and played defense , he wasnt a yeller he was just low key and stoic, he just loved trolling the media to keep the focus on him and not his players...a great overall coach and human being
the good the bad and the Pop?
Clara Morris narrating a video about Popovich = Goat on Goat narration.
Really enjoyed this. Big fan of Pop and his people-centric ethic. He knows how to make a team want to win and, further, want to win as much for him as they do themselves. That's a major secret in the art of champions. As an aside: really love the narrator's voice. She's perfect for this medium.
I'm enjoying this Prism series a lot, interesting stuff. And Clara Morris' voice is so smooth and relaxing I'd probably watch a video of her just reading the instruction manual for Mega Man IV on the NES.
I'm Italian, I was furius when Pop fired Bob Hill in 97. He his genius and very lucky man. Mc Dermott sign him as gm when he is assistent coach at Golden State, raccomended by his wife (friend of Pop wife), select Duncan (other team have better chance) and he could lose his job in 1999 before Houston game. Incredible story.
Having a retrospective about Pop is also a sign of getting old, but no complaints. Borrowing Pop's line: I'm blessed and "fortunate enough" to reach this far in life while having "fallen comrades" along the way.
Sure, he had Tim Duncan. But remember TD almost moved to Orlando. One article in 2000s suggests David Robinson postponing his Hawaii trip was the convincing factor for TD to stay. It took over a decade TD's relationship with Pop had the last say (see "Champions Revealed", available here at YT) which further detailed by TD in his moving HOF speech when Pop went out of his way to get to know TD personally with his family/friends by visiting St. Croix few days after the 1997 Draft.
Pop may never surpass Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach in ring totals, but he surpassed both for creating a coaching/front office tree and made themselves great (even HOF-bound) in their own right. He paid it forward, constantly thanking Larry Brown and Don Nelson whenever the media bringing up his achievements.
Steve Kerr both played under Jackson and Pop. It should be noted when the coaching opportunity came, he heeded Pop's input over Jackson, with the latter wooing him to coach NY. Most (if not all) of the Warriors bandwagon ignores this backstory.
And amidst his greatness, he never forget where he comes from. He knows and teaches life is always bigger than basketball. That before aiming to be one of the best in basketball, be the best human being first (which Kawhi Leonard failed to figure out; Pop took the high road).
to be frank, Kerr often also gives credit to Lute Olsen on par with Pop.
@@crepinhauser5274
Sure, then.
Thanks for the info.
I can't see a coach that would've get the 2014 ring with that Spurs outside of Greg Popovich, he is the greatest basketball mind we've seen coaching a NBA team
please please do one on troy aikman. he's not a very statistically pleasing qb but his off the scenes work with the cowboys along with dealing runours and drama in the 90s is truly fascinating.
Absolutely love your voice and narration. Perfect. Secret Base is the best channel on RUclips. Go forth!
Bro why. It's horrible
Man Phil Jackson really has the balls to say put asterisks to titles when they had the league cheating against the godddamn Sacramento Kings. And the year prior against the Jailblazers. I'd say put asterisks on those 2 titles.
During the Donaghy years no less! You KNOW Donaghy wasn't the only one.
That wasn't the first time the league rigged a playoff series for the Lakers, particularly when the Lakers were in immediate danger of losing the series. That distinction goes all the way back to the Showtime era, when the refs called a phantom foul on Bill Laimbeer in the waning seconds.
you also mean Phil the guy who needs already established Dream Team to win the title? :D
probably why Pop has always stated his hate and refusal to deal w/ the Lakers, it all makes sense now lol
Greg Popovich is easily the best NBA coach ever. I know Phil Jackson gets a lot of accolades and praise, and he does deserve it. However, Pop helped bring a fire to the Spurs and take the NBA by storm. He coached team after team to give it their all and so much more. He taught them the fundamentals of basketball of working together and being cohesive. He always got the best out of his team.
His legacy extends to coaching as well. Steve Kerr, who played for the Spurs briefly, took what he learned and saw from Pop to become a coach as well. Now he's coaching a championship team with Golden State with his own Big Three. Mike Budenholzer was a former assistant to Pop, and he coached the Bucks to their first Finals championship since 1971. Becky Hammon was another assistant who now coaches the Las Vegas Aces for the WNBA and is in the Finals. There's so many coaches that learned and have passed on what Pop has taught them.
Our time on top is over and the Spurs are struggling, but I'm forever grateful for what Coach Pop has done for the Spurs. He's a once in a lifetime coach and I'll never forget the good times we had. Whoever takes his place I hope continues to carry on what Pop has taught and keep the legacy going.
After the ascensions of Tony and Manu, it became a lot harder to get those late round gems.
Phil did the same though. Phil brought the Bulls out of mediocrity and made them a dynasty. Then when the lakers were failing with shaq and Kobe he made them work together for another threepeat. Then He won again with Just Kobe. People act Like Phil always had a good situation. He didn’t he did however take good situations and make them better.
Steve Kerr got the best of both worlds playing under Jackson in Chicago and Pop in San Antonio, he's been able to use everything he learned from both guys quite well coaching Golden State.
@@alexanderguerrero347 Phil was a lot more rigid than Pop. PJ wasn’t able to adjust after the triangle offense hit its sell-by date & was no longer a viable offensive scheme in the NBA. Jackson also had the benefit of playing in destination cities while they were still destination cities. San Antonio, as Charles Barkley likes to remind people, is not the kind of city most NBA stars dream of playing in…😉
(I should add that I do think that Phil IS an all-time great coach. I just don’t rank him quite as highly as as I rank Pop.)
@@coreyrowe4119 Kerr’s defo working his way into his upper-tier of all-time-great coaches. And Like Pop, he’s been able to keep his team playing at a (mostly) championship level for a long time in an era when most teams don’t have much more than a 3-5 year window.
I'm telling you literally Clara has the best vids I love every one on the channel but nothing is as soothing as a SB vid with Clara 🔥👍
What is soothing about this. Voice drives me up the wall
I will never forgive kawhi for not carrying on the torch from duncan and im a lakers fan who watched the spurs beat us everytime in the 90s
As a SA native I can attest people were PISSED when Bob hill was fired.. the Spurs rise as a franchise truly is legendary
Hill basically fizzled out after getting fired and never had a real HC job again. He probably got screwed over the most but it led to the Spurs' dynasty
Not just the Spurs had success when Bob Hill was coaching there, they had talent in Vinny Del Negro, Sean Elliott, Willie Anderson and Avery Johnson
this is an incredible series, i hope there are more seasons after this
Every team from every country from every sport wants someone like popovich
I love her dry sense of humor and continuing beef with babies.
I fully support Clara & her hatred of babies.
That's insane, I had no clue Pop got so much hate in his early career, I only know him as one of if not the best coach of all time.
I always knew this channel loved them some Pop.
Someone I know who's 9 years older than me told me back in 2008, when the Warriors were bad, he shouted at Tony Parker, "Monta Ellis is about to light you up." At halftime, Parker had 24.
I wonder if the same Phil Jackson that's trying to put an asterisk on the '99 title would put an asterisk on his '02 title.
The Sacramento Kings surely would.
@@janoycresnova9156 no but the Kings got heavily screwed in game 6 just because the league wanted a game 7 so badly.
I'm afraid 02 won't be the last time the league will rig late round playoff series in favor of the Lakers when they're in immediate danger of being eliminated, mainly because it wasn't the first time either (they did it in Game 6 of the 88 Finals as well).
@@coreyrowe4119 the league also wanted to salvage a Lakers dynasty. Stern loved his big markets so much that he rigged 2 title runs in favor of the Lakers and a Draft Lottery in favor of the Knicks (let's also not forget his infamous Dream Finals being Lakers vs Lakers)
For an assistant with assistant ideas, he sure knows how to find and mold great coaches (i.e. Becky Hammon)
Prism is a great series. I never really have time to go in depth with anything sports wise. But this show does it amazingly, and i am hooked
even though Spurs now in a bad place, i always revere them as a team to watch for. Pop is the reason. NBA will miss him when he retires
Terrific video. We need more content like this
Lifelong Spurs fan - damn you are good at these! :) Thank you again for such a great trip down memory lane! I am not ashamed to admit that I hated Pop for firing Hill and arrogantly making himself coach. What the Admiral and co had built seemed to be crumbling all around... I was even pissed that he took Timmy over Van Horn, who I thought was going to be a perfect fit with David while Tim and he would be too hard to put on the court at the same time. I learned a lot from that draft day through the 1999 season, lol.
I don't think a GM could get away with what Popovitch did in today's NBA.
Great mini film. thx! Would have loved longer and more bb detailed on how he transformed a boring defensive team into an offensive juggernaut
*COACH POP*
*We Love You*
Coach Pop is a legend legend. Classy, smart, no nonsense, humble,but above all else, human. He wasn't perfect, and he'd be the first to tell you what he or his guys needed to improve on even after a win. If I was any good at b ball, I would play for him!
Prism high key becoming my favorite secret base show, that KG episode hit hard
What a great video, truly enjoyed the delivery and sarcasm.
Loving this series, great work all
No mention of Northwest Indiana - so I am mentioning Northwest Indiana. Pop is a 219 legend
Pop is a 210 Legend. Him and Tim Duncan and Wemby are kings in San Antonio
Wow Winningest Coach in NBA History coached at Pomona College in Southern California and hour from where I live
This is a really great series. Great work Clara!
Thank you for this masterpiece of a tribute to the GOAT coach. Great job!
Great stuff. Keep em coming
Incredibly well done, one of the best videos on the channel
Finally a Pop video!👏💪
Man's a legend everywhere and he's humble!
Lmao that first joke at like :21 “babies can’t do anything” caught me off guard and got me pretty good.
I liked Robinson and the Spurs in the 1990s. I remember avidly disliking Gregg Popovich for firing Bob Hill in a tank season. It's funny how winning a lot of championships will change public opinion about you.
as a die hard spurs fan since the champ run of 03, i enjoyed this retrospective on pop. thank you!
Loved your pacing throughout the vid. A+
This series has been amazing!! Need a baseball story now baybay
Great video as always guys. Incredible job and I just love the basketball content.
My dad used to tell me about how unpopular pop was in his first season with the spurs and I never really could believe it. He said the joke going around the state at the time was that he needed to do what any good GM would fire the coach
they didnt want to give Pop credit for coaching the Spurs to that chip...because that was a lockout shortened year(1999)..but he silenced the critics many Xs over since then
I am so freaking excited! This man knows how to win games, get the best out of players and speak his mind without fear ❤️
Not sure if the narrator and the writer are the same person but the delivery of the witty one liners peppered into the story is phenomenal. Great work guys.
Every single clara video is a treat
This has the feel of a Ken Burns doc and I love it
Pop 100% great at development and coaching. Phil really handled some abrasive locker rooms.
I remember the one time where the Spurs nearly considered firing Pop after a dismal 6-8 start in the 1999 lockout-shortened season and this was one time talked about in Chris Miles' NBA TV segment in 2018 "What If".
I'm glad they didn't and now he's a myth and an all-time legendary head coach. Thanks Chris.
What the Spurs are doing now might be more genius than anything Pop did, which is absolutely amazing.
The entire league is PRAYING No. 1 doesn't fall into our lap. If it does, the Dynasty is back and its payback on the L that tried to forget the Spurs.
Nobody is worried about the Spurs doing anything lmao, Pop is done anyway he’s not gonna be around for another dynasty even if it was possible
@@Chigz10 Nobody said right now. Nobody said anything about Pop being part of the equation.
And if you kept up with the league, EVERYONE is eying the Spurs. Solid young core, more trade assets than just about anyone. If Wenbenyama falls into our lap after 1 tanking season...
...it's a wrap. Gotta learn to comprehend a little better and also...just keep up with the league a little more.
"Babies can't do anything." -Clara Morris, 2022
I'm surprised the players weren't more publicly supportive of Pop. I feel like they could have prevented his job from being so at-risk in the first place. But maybe that was only because players didn't have the same power in that era idk
Probably because we as fans likely would've turned on them, especially given how massively unpopular Pop was at the time.
There's actually a story that Duncan chose to return to San Antonio largely because Doc wouldn't allow Tim's girlfriend on the team plane, allowing Pop and Robinson to make a last minute pitch to keep him.
Doc is honestly a joke whether this is true or not. Got carried to a title by the Big 3 and Tom Thibodeau and is a career underachiever.
Doc is the most overrated coach in history
It was his mom but yes that’s the story on it. At the time people still thought grant hill had all time potential. Timmy and tmac would’ve been wild asf
@Fries Rudy is a superior coach to Doc
Saying someone that played at the highest level and had a long career as a player and then became a coach at the highest level and had a long career and won a championship a ‘career underachiever’ is stupid
My heart is broken because i just cant come to Secret Base to watch the Prism Intro😭😭😭😭
I legit remember Spurs/Pop haters up until the beautiful game era. People would say he's just got Tim Duncan.
This was legit. Keep up the good work!
Great job as always, Clara! I grew up as a Spurs fan who adored (and still adores) Pop and Timmy, and you got him so right.
I always thought that 1999 ring got underestimated, because the Spurs literally lost 2 games in the playoffs! The only teams who lost less are the 2001 Lakers and 2017 Warriors, yet you don't see San Antonio in the same conversation-but we should, because Pop is better than either of the coaches who won the 2001 or 2017 rings.
This is excellent. Thank you for this!
Just a fantastic story
Oh gosh... I love so much this voice 😍
Bad man. Absolute legend. Hope the Spurs get Wembanyama next year!
8 months later SA has the first pick
This is awesome I never knew any of his backstory
By far the best video from this narrator
Banger video as per usual
Judge a man by distance travelled. Great story, what a legend!
Clara = GOAT secret base narrator
Clara is so rad
Clara really is a terrific narrator. I love her laconic, low-key sense of humor. 🙂
This is a great video and series 👍🏼
Gregg Popovich is a gentleman in every possible way
I always loved the Phil Jackson and Pop battles.
My theory was Pop tanked for Duncan but I’m not mad at him