Portland isn't making it a secret that they are trying to implement some of San Antonio's philosophies on and off the basketball court.

"His (Gregg Popovich's) motto is 'get over yourself.' If you can't do that than you can't be there. We use a lot of that. Nate's (Blazers head coach Nate McMillan) motto is 'do things the right way.' It's the same thing," assistant coach Monty Williams said.

"You have to throw your ego out the door. It's all about the win. It's all about the work. It's about treating the people the right way - period."

Blazers coach Nate McMillan compares the Spurs to the Patriots of the NFL, the level other teams aspire to reach.

"I think you do learn from teams that are successful. You try and steal some of the things that they have done. They've found out how to be successful and stay successful with that formula. You try and learn how they go about doing things as much as you can," said McMillan.

"If you can use it, you take it. Why not? Anything they do that is successful you try and take that away."