Gregg Popovich has now beaten every Western Conference team in the playoffs

Gregg Popovich made history on Thursday night when he and his team ended the Houston Rockets’ season.

The San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. That may be a bold statement to some, but the facts back it up. By eliminating the Houston Rockets from the playoffs on Thursday, Popovich has now won a playoff series against every single Western Conference team. This a first in NBA history.

After beating the Rockets in Game 6 of the semifinals without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, the Spurs PR team decided to share this stat to show how great of a coach Popovich is, and how dominant the Spurs have been under his guidance.

Popovich became a head coach in 1996-97 and has since won 166 playoff games (including the current playoffs). In comparison to other coaches who have coached in the postseason, Popovich has the third-most wins. First is Phil Jackson, who coached the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls and the Kobe-era Los Angeles Lakers, with 229 wins. Second is Pat Riley, who coached the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Magic Johnson-era Lakers, with 171 wins.

However, if Popovich is able to last longer than five games in the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, he has the opportunity to take over the title of the second-most winningest playoff head coach.

In Popovich’s 21 seasons as a head coach, he has won five NBA championships and has won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award three times.

Next: The 20 different emotions of Gregg Popovich

Do you think he will be able to claim the second spot from Riley this season? Or will he have to wait until next year?