The honesty that Pop displays leads to accountability, which enables each Spur to get the most out of their potential.
Virtue #3: Empowerment
The Spurs empower each of their players to step up and produce. This was most evident in last year’s NBA Finals when Tony Parker walked up to Pop during a timeout to interject his opinion. Pop gave Parker the keys to the timeout huddle and Parker started explaining to his teammates what he saw. That empowerment to step up and make a difference is a hallmark of every player on the Spurs.
Pop explained the interaction in a press conference, "That’s not a rarity. While the coaches are out talking on the court, we do that so that the players can communicate and talk to each other because most of the time they know more what's going on than we do. There will be times when Timmy will sit in that chair or Manu will sit there or Tony will sit there and they'll talk to the team if they have something they want to get across. That's just how we do things.”
Spurs don’t put people in their place; instead they empower each other.
Virtue #4: Share
San Antonio had 1771 passes in the NBA finals compared to Miami’s 1299. That’s 472 more passes, or about 95 more passes per game. Pretty remarkable. Pop constantly tells his guys that the ball can’t “stick”; meaning ball movement is paramount.
The players bought in to the sharing concept as well. As Manu Ginobili pointed out in this article, “I think it can potentially be a game-changer, for other teams that don’t have as much talent to give (an individual) the ball and let them create like Kobe or Durant or LeBron. It kind of showed the way in the sense … if you don’t have as much talent, you still can do it. You can move the ball and put a lot of pressure on the defense."
Then, there are the salaries that each player makes. The Spurs "big 3" all took less money to stay in San Antonio. Parker made 12.5 million, Duncan made 10.4 million, and Ginobili made 7 million. Those salaries combined are less than what Kobe Bryant’s salary was this year (30.5 million).
Sharing is a non-negotiable for Spurs.
Virtue #5: Process Focus
“When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.” --Jacob Riis
That quote has been at the heart of the Spurs culture for years. “Pound the Rock” has become the rallying cry for one of the best organizations in sports. It’s become so popular that there is even a popular blog named after it (www.poundingtherock.com). It didn’t matter if they had lost game 2, or were down 22-6 in game 5, the Spurs were always focused on executing and playing the right way for 48 minutes.
Regardless of the score, Spurs continue to chisel away at their opponents until eventually they break.
Virtue #6: Something to Prove
The Spurs are filled with guys who have had something to prove throughout their career. They are an eclectic, diverse group, highlighted by 8 international players, which led the league in that category. Each player on the Spurs has had a different journey to the NBA, but only one of them (Duncan) was selected in the NBA Draft lottery. The rest of the team is filled with late 1st and 2nd round picks, guys who were passed over because of weaknesses. They are a resilient, gritty group of guys who constantly have to prove they belong.
Nothing has been given to the Spurs and that’s why so much has been earned.
Virtue #7: Best Friends
Teams often talk about how there needs to be a mutual respect amongst each other, but that they don’t have to be “best friends” with their teammates. Yet, as Patty Mills grabbed the microphone during the Spurs celebration ceremony, he introduced his teammates as his “best friends”. He went on to talk about each and every player and how they brought something unique to the team. He was genuine, funny, and comfortable talking about the guys he sweated with all year. He mentioned their quirks, how they were better people than players, and how much he loved each of them.
It’s not good enough to just be a teammate, Spurs must love each other like best friends.
The word “virtue” has many different definitions, but the one that sticks out is “a good or useful quality or thing.” When it comes to the 2014 NBA Champions there are plenty of good qualities to go around, and those champion qualities should be celebrated, admired, and duplicated by us all.