Tim Duncan sent a complimentary text message to Roy Hibbert after the the Pacers' 94-75 victory over Miami.

Hibbert spent time with Duncan during last year's lockout.

"I had a roller coaster first three years in terms of my career," Hibbert said. "(Duncan) doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low. I model my game after him. He's somebody who looks out for me."

Hibbert scored 19 points, grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and recorded five block in Indiana’s Game 3 win.

"Roy's been the biggest key in this series," Pacers point guard Darren Collison said. "He's been protecting the paint better than I've ever seen him. It's not just his effort. His effort is there, but also is his assertiveness. Those are the type of numbers you expect from an All-Star center."

The Spurs are not concerned about the ramifications of playing three games against the Clippers in four days.

San Antonio rested its core players at several points during the condensed regular season.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Manu Ginobili said. “But that, it feels like it’s in two weeks. Today’s the game. Once we win today, then we’ll figure out how we’ll do it. But it would be huge to go to L.A. having taken care of homecourt advantage.”  

Tony Parker doesn't expect the back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday to be a challenge.

“No, not really,” Parker said. “We just had like what, two months off? So we can handle three games in four days.”

Gregg Popovich, who was runner-up for the position in 2005, is a leading candidate to succeed Mike Krzyzewski as coach of the US senior national team.

"If you recall, Mike and Pop were my two choices in 2005," Colangelo said. "When I talked to Coach K, he almost jumped through the phone. I didn't sense that same enthusiasm in my conversation with 'Pop.' Afterward, he sent me a letter and said I misinterpreted what he said. He felt I had misjudged him, and maybe I did. But that was a long time ago. How can anyone argue with his record, his performance? With him as a great coach?"

Popovich is expected to be on a short list of candidates that will likely include Tom Izzo, John Calipari, Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan.

D’Antoni and McMillan have been on Krzyzewski’s staff since 2006.

"The rules can change," Colangelo said. "You have to be able to adapt. Coach K came in and we changed the infrastructure, the culture, the program. After London, we'll sit down and look at everything. Pop would certainly be a leading candidate if it's going to be a pro coach."

Kyrie Irving has won the 2011-12 NBA Rookie of the Year award, taking 117 out of a possible 120 votes.

Irving averaged 18.5 points on .469 shooting, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 30.5 minutes per game.

Ricky Rubio finished second, followed by Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, Klay Thompson, Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Knight and Chandler Parsons.

Faried, LEonard and Shumpert each received one first place vote apiece.

MarShon Brooks, Kemba Walker and Josh Selby also received votes.

Kyrie Irving and Jeremy Lin have been named to the USA select team, which will practice against the U.S. Olympic team as it prepares for the London games.

The select team also will include DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Ryan Anderson, Paul George, Taj Gibson, Klay Thompson, DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward.

The Spurs scrimmaged extensively on Friday as they continue to wait for their second round series to start.

The scrimmage was one of the team's most intense since the preseason.

“We had live action going at each other,” Matt Bonner said. “It was competitive with both sides trying to win. It was fun.”

San Antonio will play the winner of the Clippers/Grizzlies series.

When Gregg Popovich took over the Spurs in the mid-90s, he sought to create a formula of small market success similar to the Jazz.

“The success that we’ve had and Utah’s had is really satisfying because it has come in small markets,” said Popovich of the two teams, “and people really appreciate it. The fans in both places are unbelievable, and basically demand that we do things a certain way I think.”

The Jazz were perennial contenders built around All-Stars in Karl Malone and John Stockton, and a supporting cast of high quality role players.

Manu Ginobili may play for Argentina’s national team beyond this summer’s Olympics in London.

“I still haven’t decided if I’ll play again with the national team after this summer,” Ginobili said. “I’ll play this competition as if it were the last one, but we never know. If I’m healthy after the Olympics, there’s a possibility for me to keep playing for Argentina. I’ll decide at the end of the summer.”

Ginobili, 34, likes Argentina’s odds in the upcoming games.

“Yes I think so,” Ginobili said when asked if Argentina has a shot at winning a medal. “Our team is talented and we have a group of players who know perfectly how to play together. It will be difficult to reach the gold because teams like the USA and Spain look superior to the others, but I’m sure that we can fight for a medal.”

Kawhi Leonard has had an excellent first two games to help lead the Spurs to a 2-0 series lead against the Jazz.

"Kawhi is someone who, I guess it’s fair to say, surprised us. Because you don’t really know when you draft someone. … In Kawhi’s case he’s absorbed information really well," Gregg Popovich said. "He performs his role, he plays defense, he runs down the floor, and he’s got a way about him where he’s not so anxious to show us that he has every move in the world. … He’s level-headed and takes things when they come."

Leonard is averaging 11.5 points on 66.7 percent shooting, while hitting 4 of 7 3s and pulling down 2.5 rebounds.

Gregg Popovich has been named the 2011-12 NBA Coach of the Year.

Popovich was also Coach of the Year in 2003.

San Antonio had a 50-16 record this season and were tied with the Bulls for the best record in the NBA.