Gregg Popovich spoke publicly Monday for the first time since suffering a stroke six months ago, saying at the news conference where the San Antonio Spurs formally introduced Mitch Johnson as his replacement that the time was right to make that move.

Popovich won those five championships spread out over 15 years by helping create one of the most remarkable, if quiet, cultures of excellence in sports. If Pat Riley had the Heat Way (flashy, talked about, and well-celebrated) in Miami, the Pop Way was the opposite in San Antonio.