Gregg Popovich’s Choice Words Motivated Victor Wembanyama and Spurs In Game 4, Reveals De’Aaron Fox

77-year-old Gregg Popovich has been around the San Antonio Spurs whenever they are in their home base.

Gregg Popovich’s Choice Words Motivated Victor Wembanyama and Spurs In Game 4, Reveals De’Aaron Fox

Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, and Gregg Popovich (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Gregg Popovich's motivational speech after Game 3 inspired the Spurs to a strong performance in Game 4.
  • Victor Wembanyama received coaching advice from Popovich before the game, helping him improve his play.
  • The Spurs dominated the Thunder, leading by as much as 25 points and securing a decisive victory.

Basketball fans are aware that the one narrative surrounding Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and their San Antonio Spurs is that they lack playoff experience, as they do not have Gregg Popovich to lead them.

The latter might be the veteran, but he only has seven playoff games to show for in nine seasons he has been playing in the NBA. Harrison Barnes is more experienced, as he was part of the 2015 championship-winning Golden State Warriors.

But the latter is not part of the starting lineup, which means that for most of the time in a game, the young squad lacks the know-how of how to deal with postseason basketball.

LeBron James has talked about how the game changes from the regular season and how experience and intelligence play a big part. When a team’s starters lack that experience, having a head coach with some helps.

But the Spurs’ leader is Mitch Johnson, and it is also his first rodeo. Had they had Gregg Popovich, it is highly unlikely that he would have allowed Wembanyama, Fox, and Castle to surrender Games 2 and 3.

We lost Game 3… but that was the first time he (Popovich) walked into the locker room and was like, ‘Nah,… that’s not how we play basketball, and obviously he had some choice words for us. That was the first time all season that he came into the locker room right after a game and told us how he felt.

De’Aaron Fox said

This was the two-time All-Star’s reply when NBC analyst Tracy McGrady asked whether Gregg Popovich spoke his mind after those two losses. It seems the tactic worked.

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Victor Wembanyama's half-time buzzer-beater
Victor Wembanyama’s half-time buzzer-beater (Image via Spurs/X)

The Spurs came out swinging from tip-off, as they raced into a 15-point lead with more than four minutes left in the first quarter. When that lead started dwindling, Victor Wembanyama stopped their run with a heartbreaking half-court buzzer-beater to end the first half.

In Game three, OKC had managed to use their defensive efficiency to reduce the deficit and win the battle. This time, the Spurs ensured nothing of that sort happened.

They were relentless in the third quarter, imposing their will on every possession and ensuring that the away team did not get close to their lead.

It rose to 25 points in the fourth, and by then, the Thunder threw in the towel. They pulled their starters, which meant they were saving their energy for Game 5 back in their home arena.

If the Spurs are to regain control of this series, they will need to replay Popovich’s ‘choice words’ from this game in their minds. Then, it will be up to Wembanyama and his teammates to execute their plan.

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Gregg Popovich gave Victor Wembanyama advice before Game 4

Popovich would have been coaching this team had he been able. The stress of being on the sidelines might be too much for him to handle.

For that, he has Mitch Johnson to do it for him, and the former undrafted point guard has done a phenomenal job so far. But that did not stop El Jefe from doing his bit, particularly with the team’s most important player.

A video clip surfaced showing Pop spending time with Victor Wembanyama at the Spurs’ facilities. From whatever little movement he could, it seems he was advising the French phenom on movements and how to handle the elbow push-off.

The Thunder had almost put the 7’4″ center in chains in Game 2. Even though OKC and the NBA received a lot of backlash, Wemby was unable to impose himself. Now, it seems maybe the 77-year-old’s advice helped him unlock his potential.

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