San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich managed to make a sly reference to the injury status of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka with a joke during his postgame press conference after Sunday night's Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.
When asked about whether Manu Ginobili would be OK after heading to the locker room late in the fourth quarter with an apparent injury, Popovich replied "He'll be fine. Or, he's out for the rest of the playoffs."
The joke was an obvious reference to Ibaka's "miraculous" return from a calf injury Sunday, which came just a week after the Thunder had declared Ibaka out for the playoffs. Ibaka scored 15 points, along with 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, to help the Thunder beat the Spurs 106-97 and cut the Spurs series lead to 2-1.
After the tough loss, Popovich needed a good laugh, which led to the Ibaka joke. "You've still got to have some fun, even if you lose...Come on, it's basketball. Yeah, we wanted to win, but you know, I want to laugh, too."
Video via CJZero. H/T BDL.
When asked about whether Manu Ginobili would be OK after heading to the locker room late in the fourth quarter with an apparent injury, Popovich replied "He'll be fine. Or, he's out for the rest of the playoffs."
The joke was an obvious reference to Ibaka's "miraculous" return from a calf injury Sunday, which came just a week after the Thunder had declared Ibaka out for the playoffs. Ibaka scored 15 points, along with 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, to help the Thunder beat the Spurs 106-97 and cut the Spurs series lead to 2-1.
After the tough loss, Popovich needed a good laugh, which led to the Ibaka joke. "You've still got to have some fun, even if you lose...Come on, it's basketball. Yeah, we wanted to win, but you know, I want to laugh, too."
Video via CJZero. H/T BDL.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
