The San Antonio Spurs have put the Miami Heat on the brink of elimination—in dominant fashion. The Heat have won a game by 2 points, the Spurs have won games by 15, 19 and 21, taking a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.

A Bleacher Report article breaks down how the Spurs are decimating the Miami Heat defense:

Through a philosophy that believes in sacrifice and smart execution, the Spurs are beating up on a team that boasts the best all-around player on the planet—and a super-talented duo of sidekicks on top of that. Much to Pat Riley’s chagrin, it’s San Antonio that’s doing its best impersonation of the 1980s Showtime Lakers.

I have always admired the way Gregg Popovich coaches and his teams play basketball. His stars don’t act like stars. There is no ego to protect, no swagger on display, and no nauseating showboating. It’s always blue-collar-like fashion, hardworking players unselfishly and quietly going about their business with excellence and professionalism.

Yes, there is an easy argument that this Spurs team is one of the best offensive teams of all-time. And they are doing everything right on the court. Miami may have the best NBA player on the court, but the Spurs have the best TEAM on the court. They are deeper, wider, and look like a well-oiled machine with every part contributing and every member fully engaged.

This is the essence of great teams.

Here are some inspiring leadership principles and quotes about the Spurs that define their greatness:

1. The Spurs unselfishly pass up the good for the great.

The Spurs passed the ball 113 more times than the Heat last night (380-267). That is an overlooked, yet defining stat of an unselfish team. LeBron James admitted, “They move the ball extremely well. They put you in positions that no other team in this league does.”

The Spurs believe in passing up good shots to find great shots. After the game, Tony Parker acknowledged, “We look to make the extra pass, from good to great. We preach that.”

For any business, non-profit organization, or church leadership, finding the great shots will require passing up on some of the good shots. As author Jim Collins has well stated: good can become the enemy of great. You can’t just take any shot, you must look for the one or two great shots your team can master and be effective at in their game-plan.

This requires unselfishness on the part of your entire team.

2. The Spurs don’t give a hoot about individual stardom.

There’s no hero-ball in San Antonio.

When Gregg Popovich was asked who his Finals MVP is, his response was, “Next question.” It was noted that only Popovich knows his reasons for avoiding this particular question, but one suggested interpretation is that San Antonio really doesn’t have a most valuable player. While you could certainly make arguments for Kawhi Leonard or Tony Parker in this series, the real difference has been made collectively.

The team numbers tell the story.

I love this quote from Gregg Popovich: “We draft guys who have gotten over themselves.”

That statement may be the #Leadership quote of the century.

Get your team to get over themselves and you can have a team that understands and experiences true greatness.

3. Great leadership and coachable players.

For great leadership to be passed down, there must be mutual trust, respect, and humility.

Usually, the NBA coach’s fate is determined by the whims of the superstar, and often the coach will simply allow the superstar to roam unchecked just to save or keep his job. Meanwhile, the rest of the locker room, sensing a double standard, begins to boil.

This toxic element doesn’t exist in San Antonio.

The Spurs “Big Three” have been together for a long time (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili). But I find it admirable how these veteran players not only respect and honor their coach, but also still maintain a coachable spirit this late in their careers. The Spurs have coachable players willing to buy into their coach’s system. If you don’t have the same coachable spirit, you won’t fit in with this organization very long.

Tim Duncan’s leadership as a veteran player sets the tone for younger players in the organization. When Duncan’s teammates observe him and how he conducts himself with “Coach Pop”, everyone follows suit. There’s really no choice but to be respectful and coachable.

This certainly doesn’t mean the relationship isn’t tested at times.

In Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, when the Spurs were being blown off the floor by the Thunder, came a telling moment. As the Spurs, in a pique of frustration, called timeout, Duncan approached the bench clearly annoyed and began jawing with Popovich. It was brief, maybe two or three seconds tops, but it was quite a sight because of the coach and player involved.

Afterward, Popovich was asked about it, and his response went as you might expect: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What do you mean, miscommunication?”

Then, when the question was asked again: “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

Translation: It’s a non-issue, whatever it was. And that brief and insignificant disagreement didn’t penetrate or even scratch the Duncan-Popovich dynamic, which was solid 16 years ago and by all accounts just as solid now.

Great organizations don’t live without relational tension, they just know how to guard the respect and honor within those relational tensions, and move on with a stronger dynamic because of how they handled that tension.

“Every coach in the NBA would love to have a player like Tim,” R.C. Buford said.

I would state that every organizational CEO, every non-profit director, and every pastor would love to have a player like Tim Duncan. A coachable spirit built on mutual respect and honor leads to an all-around healthy organization.

There may be many other reasons why the Spurs are having great success over the Heat, including winning at the hustle plays. But what we are seeing right now is that the timeless principles of leadership: unselfishness, humility, teach-ability, and mutual trust and respect still produce greatness on the NBA court, the organizational board room, and the church leadership team—regardless of how many households know your name.

Just ask Boris Diaw of the San Antonio Spurs who finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists last night. The last player age 30 or older with at least 8/9/9 in a Finals game was Michael Jordan in 1997.

Draft players who have gotten over themselves.

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