SAN ANTONIO - Though coaches routinely point out that they had not previously seen the sort of defenses James Harden faces each night, with double-teams sent his way when he crosses midcourt, no one has the years in the NBA of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, in his 24th season.
No one had used as many techniques, from trapping pick-and-roll to going over screens to funnel him toward rim protection, as have the Spurs over the years. They even used a triangle-and-two against Harden and Chris Paul in the 2017-18 season.
Popovich, however, said he had never seen any player get the kind of attention from the opening tip that has been directed at Harden.