Johnson made his first statement after becoming a regular player: The Spurs will not restart and will continue Bo Shuai s coaching style, and you must go out of your comfort zone

May 6, not long ago, the Spurs held a press conference for Mickey Johnson to take over as the team's head coach. During this period, Popovich appeared and shook hands with Johnson and hugged him.

Johnson expressed his gratitude to all members of the Spurs at the beginning of the press conference, thanking the team and fans for always supporting him this season.

"We all have to go out of our comfort zone and do the work that was expected to be at the beginning of the camp." Johnson said, "I want to thank assistant coach Brett Brown. Although he is not a blood uncle, I regard him as an elder and a mentor, and I am the one I rely on and respect. Thanks to every staff member in this building, you make this place unique - thank you."

He almost choked up when he turned to Popovich to give a speech. He emotionally talks about how Popovich leads by example, teaching him the value of attention to detail, the development of players and the competitive spirit - and the humanistic care that must be possessed as an NBA head coach, which is one of Popovich's most prominent traits.

"The most precious thing you taught me is actually more about your actions than verbal teaching." Johnson told Popovich. "You can always understand the importance of every moment. Every moment is unique, and no two moments are exactly the same. You keep your concentration and sense of the present and devote yourself to it, which I will never forget. And now, I just want to say: Thank you."

For the next 20 minutes, Johnson talked about his preparations for next season. He stressed that his takeover is not a signal that the Spurs have entered the "restart" stage. The Spurs have always adhered to the core concept of "continuity", and he hopes that he can become a continuator of this tradition. In terms of lineup construction, he will continue his tradition of working closely with general manager Brian Wright, just as Popovich did back then. Although the Spurs currently have cap space, draft assets and young talents, Johnson still expressed his desire to focus on the existing roster and believed the team had shown strong potential last season.

"We have grasped the direction and hope to continue building on it." He said, "This is not a reconstruction, nor is it a reboot. It is just a new chapter. Although the external form has changed, the theme of the book has not changed."

The Spurs have achieved a record of 34 wins and 48 losses this season, ranking 13th in the West, winning 12 more games than last season.