Kapitel 48: 47. Contemporary Jordan

Duncan and Ginobili "out due to injuries" caused quite a stir.

Many fans who had paid in advance to watch the "Western Conference Finals Preview" and "Legendary Trio Showdown" online ran to the NBA official website and TV stations' official websites to protest... Popovich's injury reasons were too far-fetched.

Popovich successfully drew everyone's attention to himself.

He could have announced the "injuries" sooner; he had neither Duncan nor Ginobili participate in the team practice yesterday morning in San Antonio or in today's game preparation practice.

He chose to announce it just before the game to increase their chances of winning.

Now, after the pre-game ceremony, Lakers' head coach Phil Jackson kept glancing toward the Spurs' bench from time to time.

Old Fox Popovich's maneuver disrupted Phil's game preparation.