Gregg Popovich a welcome resource for Finals-bound Spurs - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs are preparing for their first berth in the NBA Finals without legendary coach Gregg Popovich, but that doesn't mean the team isn't continuing to lean on the Hall of Famer as a championship resource.

Superstar Victor Wembanyama made it a point to seek out Popovich when the team landed back in San Antonio on Saturday after its emotional Game 7 win over Oklahoma CityThunder that sent the Spurs back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

«I saw Pop right away when we landed,» Wembanyama said. «The emotion was something I haven't felt in a while, I don't even know since when. Coming back down from this is a challenge. We still need to really come back down to Earth and realize we haven't done the hardest [task] yet.»

It's a point that Popovich, 77, likely touched on at San Antonio International Airport during his conversation with Wembanyama, which the Frenchman prefers to keep private. When Popovich enters a room at Frost Bank Center or the team's training facility, «You shut the f--- up,» Spurs Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson said.

Despite a stroke last November effectively ending Popovich's coaching career, the five-time champion coach remains a fixture during practices at Victory Capital Performance Center when he's finished up daily rehabilitation workouts led by Hall of Fame forward Tim Duncan. But veteran guard De'Aaron Fox pointed out that Popovich isn't the only Hall of Fame resource walking around the building every day as a valued source of knowledge and expertise on the championship stage.

Current CEO R.C. Buford, the team's former general manager and two-time NBA Executive of the Year, is also a trusted voice within the organization along with Duncan, Manu Ginobili, David