The San Antonio Spurs appeared to be on the verge of making history Saturday when Gregg Popovich talked his way into a third-quarter ejection. All Becky Hammon had to do was move over one seat and her place in history was secured.
Even Sean Elliott, the former Spurs forward turned broadcaster, speculated during the telecast that Hammon would be taking over the coaching reigns. Mike Finger, a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News tweeted that with Popovich headed for the locker room “Becky Hammon presumably becomes the first woman to serve as head coach of a men’s team in major professional sports.”
Logically, it seemed to make sense, especially for a weekend game in mid-November. This monumental occasion would happen naturally, without much fanfare. That is the Spurs way, right? Well, history was averted, perhaps intentionally.
When Popovich left there was uncertainty over exactly who was coaching the team; Hammon, Tim Duncan or Will…
