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Durant sings praises of Pop: Coaching 'most important thing in this league'

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

With Kevin Durant's free agency set to dominate the NBA landscape this summer, the habit of micro-analyzing everything he says is underway.

On Saturday, ahead of Game 1 of the Thunder's second-round series in San Antonio, Durant heaped praise on Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

"No matter how many moving parts they have on the team, he always stays consistent with what he does," Durant said of Pop, according to the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald. "Having a coach - a really good coach - is probably the most important thing in this league. Because you can have all the great players you want, but if you have someone to orchestrate it, that's what they have."

It's hardly surprising that Popovich is so revered around the league. At 20 years and counting, he's by far the NBA's longest-tenured head coach, and his five championship rings are a testament to a system that is almost run like a powerhouse college program - as opposed to a franchise in a star-driven league.

Yet Durant's free agency is already fueling endless speculation, even if the player himself warned last August not to believe the hype.

It is not yet known if Tim Duncan will return for a 20th season, and if anything, the idea of a frontcourt of Durant and Kawhi Leonard with LaMarcus Aldridge in the middle, is at least tantalizing on a daydream level.

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