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Craig Sager doesn’t want Gregg Popovich to be nice to him

Oklahoma City Thunder v San Antonio Spurs -Game Two

Oklahoma City Thunder v San Antonio Spurs -Game Two

Andrew D. Bernstein

In a kind moment, Gregg Popovich conducted an interview with Craig Sager’s son and urged the elder Sager, who’s battling leukemia, to return to work.

Popovich even pledged to be nice.

Was anyone else weirded out by that? I sure was, and apparently, so was Sager.

Sager, via Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated:

“Pop saying he wanted me back and then promising to be nice? I was like, Oh, my God, that’s unbelievable, what an honor,” said Sager, whose exchanges with the curt Popovich have become a much-anticipated part of TNT’s NBA telecasts. “But then I started thinking about it: If I come back and Pop starts being nice to me, it just wouldn’t be right. I want him to go Serbian [Popovich was born to a Serbian father] on me.”

Here’s good news for Sager: I never believed Popovich. Sure, he’d probably be nice during Sager’s first game back. After that? Not a chance.

But now Sager has added a twist to the equation. Will Popovich be nice just to spite Sager?