"Was Pop a spy in the military?": Steve Nash hilariously chimes in on being overwhelmed by Gregg Popovich's genius in first Playoff encounter
On the fourth episode of LeBron James and Steve Nash's Mind the Game podcast that aired on Tuesday, the duo discussed Gregg Popovich's genius as a coach.
Discussing James' first NBA Finals appearance, when he played against the San Antonio Spurs under the Hall of Fame coach in 2007, the NBA veterans had high praise for Popovich's coaching ability.
"When you play the Spurs, not only are you trying to defeat the Hall of Fame players, you're also trying to defeat the Hall of Fame coach," James said.
Before James could continue, Nash interrupted the LA Lakers star to wax lyrical of Popovich's genius.
"Was Pop a spy in the military?," Nash said before substantiating his claim with details from Popovich's resume.
The duo further discussed how the San Antonio Spurs never "beat themselves" under Gregg Popovich, making it a significant challenge for opposing teams to defeat them.
Watch the segment (from 24:37) here:
The 2007 NBA Finals concluded with the San Antonio Spurs sweeping the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to win their fourth championship in eight years.
James faced Popovich's Spurs in the Finals again in 2013 and 2014, this time playing for the Miami Heat. In 2013, James led the Heat to a 4-3 victory, while Pop struck back in 2014 as the Spurs clinched their fifth and last championship to date with a gentleman's sweep.
LeBron James recalls the toughest playoff series of his career
In the aforementioned episode of the Mind the Game podcast, Steve Nash asked LeBron James about the most grueling playoff series he has played in his career. The 21-time NBA All-Star mentioned the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, against one of the best lineups in Boston Celtics history.
Recalling the intensity against the Celtics led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, James acknowledged that the series was demanding on all levels.
"Not only from a physical standpoint, but from a mental standpoint," James said. "They had so many guys out there who could do so many things. At the end of the series, I was just like, 'I just want to sleep.'"
LeBron James had practically put the Miami Heat on his back to bounce back from a 3-2 deficit to clinch the conference finals victory in seven games. The four-time NBA MVP averaged 33.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks in the series.
With the victory, LeBron James booked his third and second-straight ticket to the NBA Finals. James led the Miami Heat to a 4-1 victory against the OKC Thunder in the Finals to clinch his first NBA championship and Finals MVP.