Gregg Popovich’s Daughter Gave Him Pep Talk To Get Over NBA Finals Loss

The San Antonio Spurs suffered a heartbreaking loss in last season’s NBA Finals. They had the Miami Heat on the ropes and just couldn’t deliver the knockout blow. As much as the 2013 NBA Finals were about the Heat persevering, they were just as much about the Spurs letting a championship slip away. As you could imagine, Gregg Popovich took the loss extremely hard. Any fan can see that Pop is very passionate about what he does and it’s no surprise he went into a deep state of sadness following his team’s Finals defeat.

Here’s what Popovich had to say about the loss and his subsequent behavior:

“I think about Game six every day. Without exception. I think about every play. I can see LeBron’s first shot, and the rebound, and the second. I’ve been quite lugubrious… As sad as you can possibly be.”

But now, after a pep talk from his daughter, the Spurs head coach has snapped out of it. This is Pop’s version of what his daughter Jill told him:

“Okay, Dad, let me get this straight: You won four championships, and you go to a fifth Finals. Other coaches lose all the time. But poor Greggy can’t lose because he’s special. Can you please get over yourself? End of story.”

It’s funny what will snap you out of a funk sometimes, but a few lines like that from your daughter would most certainly do the trick. Popovich says that started him on the road to recovery and now he’s ready to face another season.

Not too many people like the Spurs’ chances to make it all the way back to the Finals again in 2014, but then again, no one thought they’d get there in 2013.

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