Sure enough, as a "hype master," he had already noticed that this year's NBA Finals could very well be the most sensational round of finals since Jordan retired in '98.
He could accept that the Lakers might lose to the Spurs, ultimately preventing this round of finals from happening.
But he absolutely couldn't accept the Spurs winning by playing "dirty" and eliminating the Lakers, or affecting the Lakers' full health entering the finals...
As everyone knows, anyone who hinders NBA promotion is an irreconcilable enemy of David Stern.
For the sake of ratings, he could make all kinds of changes, the most famous recent one being the rule changes in '04!
The Spurs received a warning from the League, but didn't dare to make these issues public, and so Popovich's head hung beneath a suspended blade.
He knew all too well what fate awaited those who caught David Stern's attention.
Just look at Boston's recently deceased "Red Priest" to understand.
