Gregg Popovich's Message to Wemby, Spurs After 0-2 NBA Finals Deficit Revealed by De'Aaron Fox

Having rallied the team once already, coaching legend Gregg Popovich provided another clear message to the San Antonio Spurs after they lost the first two games of the 2026 NBA Finals.

"He basically said that even though we dug ourselves a hole, that we can dig ourselves out of it," Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox told The Athletic's Sam Amick. "He told us just to be confident — to come out here and be confident, that there's a reason why we got here."

Guard Stephon Castle previously shared some of what Popovich communicated behind closed doors heading into Game 3:

The Hall of Famer officially stepped down as coach following the 2024-25 season and devoted himself full time to being the president of basketball operations. While he isn't as involved day-to-day with the players as he once was, he continues to provide input and wisdom as necessary.

Midway through the Western Conference Finals, Popovich was particularly blunt when he called the Spurs' performance "BS" after going down 2-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

San Antonio turned around and won three of the next four games to eliminate the reigning champions.

The Finals could be a similar story. The Spurs went into Madison Square Garden on Monday night and walked out with a 115-111 win, snapping the New York Knicks' 13-game postseason winning streak.

The series now looks a lot different with the West champions down 2-1 instead of staring at a 3-0 deficit. Should San Antonio to on to take the Knicks down, Popovich will deserve plenty of credit.