His disciples have made a name for themselves in the NBA. Why is Popovich the coach who knows the most about players?

In the San Antonio Spurs locker room, Popovich built a unique basketball utopia with Burgundy wine and Argentine matte. When Greg Popovich took over the Spurs coaching staff in 1996, no one could have foreseen that this mustache graduate of the Air Force Academy would become the most unique spiritual totem in the NBA in the next thirty years. He is like a sculptor who is well versed in the modern basketball world of reinforced concrete, using wisdom and temperature to polish rough jade of different shapes into brilliant works of art. There is no eternal Bible in Popovich's tactical manual. When David Robinson and Tim Duncan ruled the league at the beginning of the century, he was well aware of the essence of traditional inside aesthetics; and when the Warriors' small ball storm swept the league, the coach in his seventies was able to transform Aldridge into a center, allowing DeRozan to develop the skills of organizing forwards. This tactical fluidity comes from his deep understanding of the nature of basketball: games are dynamic games in five-dimensional space, and victory will always belong to the first person to crack the code of space. In the process of cultivating Parker, Popovich demonstrated amazing tactical inclusion. When French sports cars first entered the league, people laughed at him for "only breaking through and not shooting." But Popovich designed the "45-degree pick-and-roll" tactic to turn Parker's breakthrough route into an accurate geometric cutting. This tailor-made tactical design allowed Parker to win the championship four times and win the FMVP.

Faced with superstars with different personalities, Popovich showed a chameleon-like communication wisdom. He used "telepathy" guidance to the silent Duncan, and could complete tactical communication with just one look during training; for the rebellious Ginobili, he invented "20 minutes of free creation time", which not only released the creativity of the Argentinians, but also prevented the tactical system from getting out of control. This art of leadership that varies from person to person keeps the Spurs locker room subtle dynamic balance at all times. When Kawhi Leonard transformed from a defensive blue-collar worker to a superstar, Popovich showed the limits of cultivating patience. He allowed Leonard to slowly develop offensive skills for five years, and during this period he was questioned by the media "waste talent". This cultivation of concentration comes from a profound insight into human nature: the growth of a true superstar requires the simultaneous maturity of the mind and technology. In the Spurs' player training laboratory, Popovich is the most intelligent alchemist. He transformed Tony Parker, who was 28th overall, into a point guard master, and transformed Manu Ginobili, who was 57th overall, into "20 minutes Jordan", and even let the undrafted Jonathan Simmons shine. This ability to turn stones into gold is based on precise control of the players' technical characteristics and psychological characteristics. The transformation story of Derek White and Dezontae Murray confirms the vitality of the Popovich training system. When the two defenders transferred to his team with Spurs DNA, they can continue to evolve into All-Star players. This growth inertia beyond the tactical system is the most precious legacy that Popovich left to his disciples: his ability to understand the essence of the game and his way of thinking that continues to improve. In the NBA, a talented business league, Popovich has spent thirty years proving that the real great coach is not a repeater of the tactical manual, but an interpreter of human nature. He is like an old-school jazz player, both following the basic rhythm of basketball and giving every player room to improvise. When the statue of the GDP combination stands outside the AT&T center, the basketball lives touched by Popovich are still shining everywhere in the league. This is perhaps the most moving look of basketball philosophy: in a rigorous tactical framework, always reserve room for breathing for human possibilities.