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It has been said that Popovich can coach anybody. His teams are selfless and quiet and consistent and, well, boring to the rest of the NBA. His players constantly seek his approval, even after they've left San Antonio. One-sixth of the head-coaching jobs in the NBA next season will be filled by men who used to play for or coach alongside Popovich.

All of them call him "Pop." They insist he's not the curmudgeon on display in the media. He can chew a player out at noon and by 6 o'clock is on the phone with that player, inviting him to a new restaurant in town. Popovich always insists on picking up the check, no matter how many zeros there are in his guest's salary. When the team travels to Washington, D.C., Pop will take it on a trip to the Pentagon.

Years ago, there was a strength and conditioning coach -- an intern, apparently -- who decided to become a youth minister. The guy didn't have much money, so imagine his surprise when he received a going-away gift, a Nissan Pathfinder, courtesy of Popovich. "Pop would probably kill me right now if he knew I was talking about this," said Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, a former Spurs assistant who witnessed the deed. "He's done a million things like that."

Popovich's need for secrecy is a product of his younger days. He went to the Air Force Academy, majored in Soviet studies, and underwent intelligence gathering and processing training. He contemplated a career with the CIA.

But beyond that training, Popovich just doesn't have time, or patience, for the things he doesn't deem important. He is sentimental and values friendships. He has love for anyone who competes. When someone doesn't, that's when Popovich goes off on a rant. The tirade might last only 10 seconds, but it feels like 10 hours. Popovich doesn't discriminate, either.

Brown saw Popovich once rip into a player in front of God, the TV cameras and the entire team during a game. The player was Duncan.

"He calls timeout, grabs a chair, puts it right in front of Tim and just goes after him," Brown said. "And I'm sitting there thinking, 'OK, I just got here, this is my first year. I really don't want to move again, but it looks like we're going to end up moving again. Because I will no longer have a job after this game.'

"Your perception is that if you go after your superstar like that in front of everybody, you think there's going to be a strained relationship between the coach and the best player. And it was far from it. With the rest of the guys watching Pop coach the way he did, they knew that, Hey, if you're the third-best player or the seventh-best player, you'd better be able to take it because the No. 1 player on the team did, and he took it like a pro."

Duncan takes it because he knows every rant goes a long way with the younger players. It takes pressure off them. Duncan trusts Popovich. He used to tell former Spur Bruce Bowen, an ESPN NBA analyst, that Popovich came down on the players he knew could handle it. "He's not going to show favoritism over someone," Bowen said.

Possibly the first guy to consistently get on Popovich's bad side was Monty Williams. He was a young and rebellious player back in 1997 and often didn't get why Popovich was always yelling at him. The veterans tried to explain that it meant Popovich liked him. Williams didn't see it.

He made stops at three other teams after San Antonio, injured his knee, and one day was told by Dr. James Andrews that his playing career was over. Upon hearing the news, he called two people: his wife and Gregg Popovich. He has no idea why he felt compelled to call Popovich.

The coach suggested he come to the Spurs' practices and watch, and he took notes for three months. Popovich kept giving him more responsibilities. In 2005, he was an intern assistant when the Spurs won their third title. As the team celebrated, Williams stood off to the side and watched.

Someone grabbed him from behind and gave him a bear hug. It was Popovich. "You got one," the coach said. He watched Popovich the whole series, how he was undaunted after a Game 6 loss, when the Spurs were counted out, how he stayed up all night figuring out how to beat the Detroit Pistons in Game 7.

After the season, Popovich met with Williams and asked what he wanted to do. He could get into management. He could coach.

Williams looked at him and said, "Pop, I want to be like you."

Popovich nodded and walked away.

"I think the general level of caring that he displays is not normal," said Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry, who used to play for Popovich. "But he cares about the world around him, and he cares about the people he's with very much."

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Spoelstra is a young Pop

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