Parker expects Pop to rest Spurs' starters in final 2 games vs. Warriors
Tony Parker has been around the San Antonio Spurs long enough to know how coach Gregg Popovich thinks.
And with the Spurs playing their Western Conference rival Golden State Warriors two more times in the regular season's final eight games, Parker foresees rest for himself and the team's starters.
"I think no one will play (against the Warriors)," Parker said on his French-language radio show, as translated by News 4 San Antonio. "To Pop, the most important thing is that the players are rested for the playoffs. As for first place, he does not care."
The fact that both the Warriors and Spurs are on historical runs this regular season means little to Popovich, who has five championship rings.
"The most important thing for him is to win the NBA title," Parker said. "The record at home or games against Golden State is not what interests him."
While the Warriors look to beat the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' single-season record of 72 wins, the Spurs are also setting marks. At 37-0 at AT&T Center in 2015-16, the team can break the NBA record for home victories to start a season Wednesday night with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Both the Spurs and Warriors could also become the first teams in NBA history to not lose consecutive games in a season.
Yet, perhaps wisely, Popovich would rather rest his core in anticipation of a long postseason run. With an average age of 31.6, the Spurs are the oldest team in the league by a significant margin. Parker, who turns 34 in May, has played in 66 games this season. No player on the roster has appeared in all 74 contests going into Wednesday.
Parker's comments may be music to the ears of Warriors fans hoping their team sets a new wins record. Yet the driving factor behind Popovich's viewpoint is to ultimately ensure that a Western Conference finals showdown between the Spurs and Warriors comes to pass.
Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili are expected back in the lineup Wednesday after a two-game absence due to rest.