More than X’s, O’s for Kerr, Popovich

SAN ANTONIO — When Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich were out of their seats and arguing calls Saturday night, they were just paces apart.

Their relationship is much closer.

“Pop is one of the most important people in my life,” Kerr said. “He always has been, since I first met him. I’ve learned so much from him by observing and playing under him, and just having fun with him.”

Kerr played for Popovich from 1998-2001 and 2002-03, winning two championships with the Spurs. During those years, Kerr learned a lot of lessons he would even-

tually use as a coach himself.

“How to treat your players, how to build the culture of the team and what’s really important,” Kerr said. “What I figured out pretty quickly under Pop was the X’s and O’s are kind of a small part of everything. The important parts are the relationships within the team, the pacing of the team, trying to give guys perspective and allowing them to be free while they play. You have a structure, but you have freedom and a really good culture of learning and fun and cohesiveness. That’s not from the

plays he called. That’s from the way he treated us.

“There’s no secret. We’ve patterned a lot of what we’ve done with our organization after the Spurs. Why wouldn’t we? They’re the best the NBA has seen over the past 20 years.”

About six or seven years ago, Kerr asked if he could attend the Spurs’ training camp, but Popovich suggested instead that Kerr join the coaching staff on its annual retreat in Chicago.

“It was awesome,” Kerr said. “We just sat in the hotel for a couple of days, watching tape, going out to dinner and picking their brains. Pop does that for a lot of people. He believes in sharing information.”

Even though they coach the Western Conference’s top two teams, the relationship between Kerr and Popovich hasn’t changed. As Popovich said, “Coaching is just what we do.”

Kerr said, “I think it speaks to what I was talking about a moment ago, in terms of having perspective. It’s so easy to get carried away. Obviously, these games, and what happens with wins and losses, mean so much to us, but it’s still a game. You never forget that with Pop. I try to treat my team the same way.

“There’s an understanding that we’re going to try to do everything we can to win. We’re going to work our tails off. At the end of the day, it’s still a basketball game. It’s not life or death. You can still like the guy on the other team and go out to dinner with him, and then you try to tear his throat out, come game time. That’s what makes it fun.”