LOS ANGELES >> The Spurs’ decades-long consistency through five NBA championships and 19 consecutive playoff appearances left Lakers coach Luke Walton shaking his head.
“It’s insane,” Walton said. “They play the right way and do things the right way. No matter if guys are hurt or not, they get the same effort.”
The Spurs also share the same visions, thanks to a symbiotic relationship between general manager R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich for nearly the past two decades.
“Better than chaos and conflict,” Popovich quipped.
The Lakers would know that feeling. Lakers president Jeanie Buss recently fired general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive Jim Buss amid four coaching changes, three missed playoff appearances and several free agency strikeouts over the past several years.