Paul, Spurs determined to fight 'hard' for Popovich in absence

LOS ANGELES – After coach Gregg Popovich took an indefinite leave from the San Antonio Spurs due to health reasons, point guard Chris Paul said the club wanted to “play hard and fight for Pop because he set the standard.”

“You’ve seen it here for years. We all saw it,” Paul said. “So that’s what we want to focus on right now: going out and playing. Because we know that if we don’t defend, we will hear about it.”

Popovich, 75, suffered from health issues before Saturday's win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and assistant Mitch Johnson – who took over the team and led the team to a 113-103 victory – will serve as interim coach indefinitely starting Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves According to sources, the LA Clippers continue their game in Houston on Wednesday.

Johnson, 39, made a statement to reporters during his pregame availability on Monday, revealing that he spoke on Sunday with Popovich, who did not travel with the Spurs on their two-game trip.

“I want to start by saying that Pop's impact on our organization is due to the players he coached and the staff who worked with him in the San Antonio community,” Johnson said. “It's hard to articulate or put into words and if I tried I wouldn't do it justice. He's been great for me personally, and right now his health is our top priority. We support him 100 percent and I spoke about it to him last night. He's doing well and we can't wait to have him back.

Asked about his message to the team moving forward without the longest-tenured head coach in all four U.S. professional sports leagues, Johnson said: “Regularly scheduled programs.”

“Just stay consistent with the messages we’ve been given,” he said. “He wields so much power and delegates when he’s here. In a weird way, it doesn't feel like I have to do anything super fancy. We have (assistants) Brett Brown and Matt Nielsen who were on the bench with me. “We have a great staff and guys who all have the opportunity to train hard and lead. I think it's just about doing what we do and that's what we're going to do. Doing it as a group was great and the players stepped up in that regard too.”

The team has not provided a timetable for when Popovich might return, and Johnson said he was “not at liberty” to discuss the situation.

Paul said none of the players had spoken to Popovich since his health scare, adding that the team just wanted to “give him his space.” Still, Paul said the Spurs couldn't help but notice Popovich's absence.

“There are certain things when you come into the arena. You know you’re going to see this person, you’re going to have these different routines,” Paul said. “So when something breaks, the routine is different, especially for someone like Pop. But I think the guys on our team are excited to go out and play. We know he will be watching. He’ll be there” to let us know what he sees. All the guys on our team, all the employees miss him because he's Pop. So there's a feeling that calms everyone down when he's in the room.

Popovich is the all-time NBA leader in career wins (1,390), including 170 playoff wins and five championships. He is in his 29th season with the Spurs.

Popovich received a five-year, $80 million contract extension in July 2023, increasing his salary to $16 million per season and making him the highest-paid coach in the NBA at the time. A graduate of the Air Force Academy and former US Air Force officer, Popovich took over as head coach of the Spurs in 1996. He holds a postseason record of 170-114, which ranks third on the NBA's all-time playoff wins list behind Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171).

Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2023.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve been praying,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “Hopefully he is fine and recovers quickly. Pop was very committed to our game and our coaches. Whenever we go to a coaching meeting, he's the one who shows up and makes sure we get what we're supposed to get. “He's someone we follow and who supports us and the players alike.