Greatness of Duncan-Popovich lost on them, but not us

And as Duncan walks past Popovich on his way to retirement, the coach and his star probably won't exchange much more than a glance, just as they have done so

Phil Taylor | Jun 16, 2014

Greatness of Duncan-Popovich lost on them, but not us /

Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich have won the third-most (five) titles by a player-coach duo in history. — Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich have won the third-most (five) titles by a player-coach duo in history :: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

And as Duncan walks past Popovich on his way to retirement, the coach and his star probably won't exchange much more than a glance, just as they have done so often when Duncan would walk to the bench after yet another win had been sealed. Their place in history will always matter less to them than the history they have shared, and for them, that goes without saying. Duncan and Popovich have never needed many words to tell each other everything.

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Published Jun 16, 2014

PHIL TAYLOR

Senior writer, Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor has covered a variety of sports in his more than two decades with the magazine, including pro and college basketball as well as college football. He has written The Hot Button column for SI.com and frequently writes the magazine's Point After column, for which he won a National Headliner Award in 2012. During his years as the magazine's lead NBA writer, Taylor profiled many of the league's stars. Among his most memorable stories were a piece on Michael Jordan's return from baseball to the NBA and an in-depth profile of reclusive Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. Some of the historic sports events he has covered include the earthquake-struck 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park, Chris Webber's infamous timeout in the 1993 NCAA tournament title game and Jordan's epic "flu-game" in the 1997 NBA Finals. Prior to joining SI, Taylor began his career at the Miami Herald, where he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for feature writing. He has also written for the San Jose Mercury News and the now-defunct sports daily, The National. Born in Flushing, N.Y. and raised on Long Island, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College in 1982 and a Masters in communications from Stanford University in 1983. Taylor and his wife, who have three children, live in northern California.