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Pop advises against betting on Spurs title: 'It's probably not gonna happen'

Michael Gonzales / National Basketball Association / Getty

Gregg Popovich is keeping it very real regarding the San Antonio Spurs' championship hopes.

The longtime Spurs head coach issued a tongue-in-cheek warning Monday to would-be bettors who are considering backing his young squad to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.

"I probably shouldn't say this, but I'll say it anyway, what the hell. Nobody here should go to Vegas with the thought of betting on us to win the championship," Popovich told reporters at media day, courtesy of Adam Rossow of Spectrum News 1 Texas.

"And I know somebody will say, 'Gosh, what a Debbie Downer. There's a chance. What if they work really hard?' It's probably not gonna happen."

San Antonio is considered a longshot to crack the Western Conference playoff picture, let alone win the title this season. The rebuilding Spurs are one of the youngest teams in the league, and all but four players on their current roster (Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott, and Gorgui Dieng) have, at most, four NBA campaigns under their belt.

The 73-year-old head coach joked that the abundance of young faces has left him entirely unfamiliar with his personnel.

"I walked into the film room today, and there was this young kid sitting there, and I said, 'Who the hell are you?'" he said, according to The Associated Press. "Seriously. He said ... I forgot his name already. I don't know anybody."

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