General gets the one-up on Pop

Avery Johnson did his part to get an upper hand on the defending champs. Well, at least on their coach.

“I don’t even want to see him,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich deadpanned. “He kept me up all night last night. We went out last night. He kept me up way past my bedtime because he knows I can’t take it. So he was trying to do me in and he did a good job last night. I don’t even want to see him today.”

The two close friends have made of habit of getting together before games whenever the schedule allows. So what did they chat about?

“Everything but basketball,” Popovich said. “Families, live and fun, friends. That kind of thing. We get enough basketball.”

So did Pop, a noted wine aficionado, try to do the General in with the grape?

“Avery doesn’t drink or curse,” Pop quipped, “does he?”

Avery also had a message for the Spurs and his former coach.

“Tell them when their plane breaks down they can’t use our plane,” Johnson chided. “Tell him he can’t sit in my seat.”