Last month Gregg Popovich had what I thought was one of his best quotes of the year. It was after the Saturday night matchup with the Thunder, when Danny Green had a tough shooting night and hit his only three of the night at a huge point of the fourth quarter. Pop said:
"He's a pro and we made it clear to him there's only two outcomes," Popovich explained of Green's determination to keep chucking away. "It goes in or it doesn't, but he still gets his paycheck, his family still loves him, so screw it, let 'em fly. And he did."
This doesn't just encapsulate the feeling that Pop wants Green to have, or the trust that the players have for one another. It goes beyond that for me. The attitude of playing free and easy, the mindset of enjoying yourself even when being under pressure to execute with everything on the line -- that's one I think that's not just important for the Spurs to have. It's the way I want to live my own life.
So at the same time that I want the Spurs to let it fly, it's time for us as fans to do the same. We don't need to be worried about the Warriors. Enjoy the journey through the playoffs. Savor every game. Cheer for the team and pursue excellence in everything you do.
I think being ready to Let it fly is as powerful as the meaning behind Pounding the Rock. But since I'm not changing the name of this website, I did the next best thing and worked with BreakingT to launch a new Let It Fly T-shirt. Here's the design, and it's packed with meaning.
Mrs. Wilco and I labored over every element as we consulted with the BreakingT designer to get this just right. I don't think any other shirt was as difficult to finalize, but I'm so proud of the result. From the winged basketball and the silhouette of the Alamo, to the hammers that bookend the words at the bottom, and the five stars that represent the championship years -- everything finally came together the way I thought it should.
So I present to you the Let It Fly T-shirt which is now for sale. All of BreakingT's shirts are super soft, and last nearly forever. If you're between sizes go with the larger of the two. In case you don't know, a portion of the profits come to me, which is one of the reasons Mrs. Wilco lets me spend so much time working on PtR and doing things like launching a podcast, etc.
Hope you guys enjoy. Go Spurs Go and Let It Fly!