Over the course of the season, the Spurs' fast-paced style had earned them quite a fearsome reputation in the NBA.
Across the NBA, only the Kings and a handful of other teams could match the Spurs in terms of strength.
And this year, despite few people believing in them, they had made it to the Western Conference Finals as a dark horse.
When Popovich's team clinched a spot in the Western Conference Finals, the old man was overjoyed.
During the post-game interview, Old Master Bo, who was usually so stern, wore a broad smile, his face glowing with excitement.
A reporter asked him, "You look pretty excited that today's win puts you in the Western Conference Finals."
Old Master Bo replied, "No, you don't understand. I'm not this excited because we made it to the Western Conference Finals. I'm excited because our next opponent is Wang Yi. Getting to face that guy is incredible luck for me."
The reporter asked, "Facing Wang Yi is good luck for you? You know he's unquestionably the best player in the league. There's no doubt about his ability, and his coaching has amazed everyone, too. You're excited to face someone who's one of the best coaches in the NBA and unquestionably its strongest player?"
Old Master Bo said, "Of course. You don't understand. Facing him is the greatest honor of my life."
Old Master Bo continued, "You don't understand. Wang Yi is the strongest player in the world and one of the best coaches. Not many people get the chance to go up against someone like that. I'm about to do it, so how could I not be happy?"
When Wang Yi heard what Old Master Bo had said, he responded in kind:
"He's the most interesting old guy I've ever met, and one