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Popovich: Spurs deserve credit for 'great' 1st year in post-Duncan era

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

Give the San Antonio Spurs their due.

In their first season since Tim Duncan retired, the Spurs welcomed seven new faces and somehow didn't seem to miss a beat as they won 61 games in the regular season and reached the Western Conference Finals, where injuries all but spoiled their efforts.

Despite getting swept by the Golden State Warriors, Gregg Popovich wasn't disappointed in his men. Instead, he chalked up their season as a "great" one, and said the club deserves plenty of credit for what they were able to accomplish.

"They've done a marvelous job of picking things up and understanding what we expect of them," Popovich told reporters Tuesday about his new players.

The 68-year-old, who's coached the Spurs to five NBA championships since taking the helm in 1997, admitted the campaign was more "challenging" than in years past because of all the personnel changes.

Following two decades of steady excellence with much of the same Duncan-centric core, Pop and his staff had to do more teaching and instilling of habits this year than they've had to in a while. Thankfully, it's been a smooth process because the players have been so receptive and willing to immerse themselves in the Spursian culture.

"It's a good group of young kids," the three-time Coach of the Year said following Monday's season-ending defeat.

"We had seven new players this year. And for our part, I think they had a great season. When you get seven new guys and we played for the first time without Timmy's leadership, to win 61 games and play well through the first round, the second round, and the beginning of the Conference Finals here, I think they did a fine job for themselves. The young kids had a big part of that throughout the year and in the Playoffs. So I think their future is bright."

While San Antonio's immediate future is clouded by uncertainty regarding the potential retirement of Manu Ginobili and free agents like Patty Mills and Jonathon Simmons, something tells us the team will be just fine. After all, it does boast an MVP-caliber superstar in Kawhi Leonard, promising young talent in Kyle Anderson and Dejounte Murray, and the proven philosophies of perhaps the best coach in the game.

Plus, we know better than to count out Pop and the Spurs.

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