Boris Diaw played a huge role coming off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs throughout the year and during the playoffs.
Diaw is currently focusing on his duties with the French national team, but he had a chance to reflect on this past season playing with the San Antonio Spurs with Hoops Hype.
Here is a sample of what he had to say from seeing Tony Parker constantly, losing in the NBA Finals to his thoughts on Kawhi Leonard.
Don't you get tired of seeing Tony Parker every day all year long for so many years?
BD: [Laughs] I'm tired, for sure. Nah, it's always great to come back and face another challenge of doing something good with the National Team.
Do you think the Eurobasket can help you, De Colo and Parker in a way to heal the pain of losing the Finals?
BD: It's different, it's not really related. But one thing is sure, you want to win. We were so close to win during the season and now we want to win during the summer.
How was the feeling following the Finals after losing against the Heat?
BD: It was tough, it's never easy to lose. It was a tough time, you think about it… You try to take it off your mind. But there's nothing you can change about it. Sometimes I still think about it, I'm still very disappointed that we lost. The only thing you can do is come back next year and try to do it again.
Was there one moment at the end of Game 6, before Ray Allen hit the three, that you thought 'We are champions'?
BD: Not champions but when we were +5 of course we were like, 'OK, that's pretty good so far'. We were pretty close but we weren't champions yet.
How would you compare the sadness or devastation after the Game 6 loss and the feelings following Game 7?
BD: It was a weird feeling because we were very disappointed that night but at the same time we were like 'OK, we have another shot in two days, we have another chance'. So it was a different feeling. After Game 7, I think were disappointed for what happened in Game 6 more than we were about Game 7.
Who do you think has to step up in San Antonio in order to be back at the Finals?
BD: We've got to do the same thing. Of course it's going to be different guys doing different things. The Spurs always have young guys that come out of nowhere and play really good. We had a great season and great playoffs.
How good do you think Kawhi Leonard can be?
BD: He's great. I think he's going to be an All-Star one day. He's got it all, he can do everything on the court: plays defense, gets rebounds and he can score. Everything.
As we’ve heard from most Spurs players, the pain will never subside from being so close to winning it all. Still they all share the same view that they need to move forward and look at this new season as a new opportunity.
Diaw is currently in the final year of his deal, of which he opted into. A player who has a plethora of skills, Diaw seems to thrive in the San Antonio system. Even though he always leaves coaches, players, and fans wanting more, Diaw’s basketball IQ is off the charts. It will be interesting to see if he has San Antonio in his future plans, but for now he’s set to have a huge impact once again coming off the bench for the Spurs.