Popovich’s gamble: making Gay starter

San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich has spent much of the season holding his breath every time Rudy Gay is on the floor.

With the 31-year-old forward coming off a serious Achilles tendon injury, Popovich was always paranoid of playing Gay too much.

“I watch him all the time,” Popovich said. “If we play him too many minutes in a row, I think something is going to happen. It’s like a parent watching somebody.”

With the Spurs down 1-0 heading into Game 2 of their first-round series against Golden State on Monday, Popovich decided it was time to take Gay out of bubble wrap.

In search of an offensive spark to match the high-powered Warriors, Popovich inserted Gay into his starting lineup in place of Kyle Anderson.

In his first start since a Dec. 16 victory over Dallas (and first postseason start since 2012), Gay played 37 minutes, made 6 of 12 shots, scored 12 points, gabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.

The impetus behind the move was obvious in the wake of the Spurs’ 113-92 defeat in Game 1, in which Gay came off the bench to score 15 points and grab six rebounds.

“More offense,” Popovich said. “We need to score. We always harp about defense, and these guys are hard to guard, but we need to score.”

Golden State head coach Steve Kerr did not counter with a lineup switch Monday. For the second game in a row, he started Andre Iguodala at point guard and JaVale McGee at center.

Popovich said the hubbub over starting units has been overblown.

“The starting lineups are not that big a deal,” Popovich said. “It’s a 48-minute game, and all sorts of changes take place.” No rush to retirement: The NBA’s second-oldest player reiterated that he hasn’t made a decision about whether to return next season.

Speaking before Game 2, Manu Ginobili said that he plans to take his time after the season in plotting his future.

“As I’ve done the last two or three seasons, I’ll sit back, relax, and after two or three months see if I feel retired or not,” said Ginobili, 40. The Spurs’ guard said he doesn’t expect to decide until well into the summer.

Ginobili played 23 minutes in Game 2 and scored 10 points. He is under contract next season for $2.5 million.