Lighter side of Popovich, Brown emerges at NBA Finals

"How great is that?" Brown asked as he thumbed through the pictures. "This is so nice."

It was another moment of warmth from the 64-year-old Brown, whose sentimentality has been almost as pronounced over the past two weeks as Popovich's sense of humor.

When he wasn't debating the definition of "giddy," Popovich's back-and-forth banter from the interview podium included references to Watergate scandal figure G. Gordon Liddy and former president Richard Nixon. Brown was more touchy-feely - though he did toss in a one-liner about his mood after Detroit's losses in Games 1 and 2.

"I felt like I felt coming back from Athens," Brown said.

Both coaches will have their game faces back on for Game 5, the stakes high as each team tries to take control of the series and move one victory away from the title.

San Antonio is attempting to win the championship for the third time in seven years, while the Pistons are looking to legitimize their legacy after defeating the fractured Los Angeles Lakers last season in a victory many considered a fluke.

The familiarity between the coaches has not had an effect on the first four games, the lopsided final scores erasing any chance of Brown and Popovich trying to guess what the other might be thinking or planning for a late possession in a tight game.

Brown and Popovich have continued to call each other and share stories, with strategy and tactics the only subject temporarily off-limits.

"The other night I wanted to go to dinner, but he had to go with his owner. But before he went, he came down with me and my wife and picked up the tab. Then last night we were going to go out together, but he needed to be with his team. So I went to see Batman with my son and his friends," Brown said.

"We're friends, our families are close. I'm interested in Micky and Jill and his wife, Erin, and he's close to my kids and (wife) Shelley. But the last couple of days have been hard for me, because that wasn't a fun game for me toward the end," Brown said of Detroit's 102-71 victory Thursday night. "I looked down there, and somebody I know how competitive he is, and how special he is as a coach, that wasn't indicative of what he's done and what his team is about."

Brown told a similar story Friday, and when Popovich heard about it he admonished a reporter for not recognizing it as a bunch of baloney.

But there was some sincerity in what Brown was saying, and that candidness, mixed with humor, has made these NBA Finals unlike any in recent years.