NEW YORK (AP) — He’s now the fifth-winningest coach in NBA history, though there are some things Gregg Popovich still doesn’t know.
Like what everybody was yelling about after 40-year-old Manu Ginobili sank an overthrown pass for a 3-pointer, for example.
Manu Gonna Manu… pic.twitter.com/MvHsjuqJLu
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 3, 2018
He was just as fooled initially as the referees and didn’t realize the ball had gone in the basket, the most bizarre bucket of San Antonio’s 100-91 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
“I did not, in all honestly. I did not,” Popovich said. “Then everybody started grabbing me and saying the ball went in. I said, ‘Yeah, the ball went in!’ I acted like I knew what was going on.”
"You see the follow-through?" 😂
– @manuginobili on his ̶l̶o̶b̶ ̶ three. #NBAVOTE pic.twitter.com/ZlBGAPsd1r— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 3, 2018
He almost always does.
Popovich earned his 1,176th victory, all with the Spurs. The five-time champion broke a tie with his friend George Karl.
Moving on up.
Coach Pop is now 5th on the @NBA all-time wins list. #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/hpRkuZ1cUm
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 3, 2018
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points and Kawhi Leonard had a season-high 25 for the Spurs. Ginobili finished with 12 points — three of them coming on what appeared to be a pass that went into the basket without everyone noticing.
“He makes magic happen,” Aldridge said. “He’s the only 40-year-old that can make plays like he does every night.”
Ginobili, the Argentine veteran who got some loud cheers as he often does while playing in New York, appeared to be attempting a lob pass from beyond the 3-point line to Aldridge, but the pass went over his head. Beasley grabbed it and began dribbling up the court as Ginobili and other Spurs waved frantically to the officials that the ball had actually gone into the basket.
“It went so clean that nobody saw it and I went crazy because once you make a shot like that, you want it to count,” Ginobili said. “So yeah, it was very awkward, but common sense, I guess. The refs reviewed it and we got it.”