1) Game 6 was over before the 4th quarter, and before the officials started blowing their whistles at every turn. The Spurs were up by 15 points at the half and were simply run out of the gym in that 3rd quarter (32-18) thanks to a defense that can be called putrid at best, and poor decision making and shot making from the Big 3. The 3rd quarter definitively proved OKC's mettle and showed that they were the better team.
2) This team's Big 3 has played together for 9 years now. They all have high basketball IQ and have access to game film. As PROFESSIONALS it's up to them to tweak their individual games to adjust to the opposing team's defense/offense from game to game. Pop shouldn't have to tell Timmy to stop shooting over his right shoulder on the block, or tell Tony to attack the hedge/switch off of screens instead of moving horizontally. Pop also didn't collectively neuter every bench player aside from Jackson and Neal.
3) Pop is primarily responsible for two things: subs ution patterns and halftime adjustments. With that in mind, let's see how Pop fared in the 4 losses.
Game 3: Regular sub pattern, players just the bed. Poor halftime adjustments by Pop, and the Spurs continued to get steamrolled.
Game 4: Pop slightly altered the subs ution pattern by giving minutes to Dejuan Blair, a solid move that shifted the momentum in the Spurs' favor in the 4th. Pop still stuck with Green for 20 minutes and got nothing from him. In hindsight, it's easy to see that Jackson should have played more this game. Really though, the Spurs lost this game due to a listless performance from Tony Parker, and incredible shooting nights from Ibaka and Durant.
Game 5: Pop starts Manu Ginobili and the move pays immediate dividends. Pop makes the correct call in giving most of Green's minutes to Jackson, but his subs ution pattern goes bizzaro after foul trouble to Duncan and Diaw at the end of the first quarter. That said, the Spurs lost this game due to another poor offensive night from Tony Parker, shaky defense (at best) from Duncan, and a fluke shot from Harden. Pop's last second play call is defended as well as possible by the Thunder.
Game 6: Manu starts again, and the Big 3 look as solid as they have all year. Jackson is relied on heavily again, and Green is given a chance only to be yanked after missing a wide open 3 and failing to box out on defense. Pop is forced to play an even tighter 7-man rotation in this game, as most of our "deep" bench proves to be too overwhelmed by OKC's talent and the playoff intensity. After half-time, the Spurs inexplicably collapse due to unrelenting pressure from OKC and the aforementioned struggles of our Big 3, who seemed worn out after that fantastic first half effort.
Pop did well enough with what he had to work with. Most of the adjustments that would have helped the Spurs should have come from Parker and Duncan in realizing how to capitalize on the way they were being defended. Unfortunately, that clearly didn't happen, and OKC's players played with more energy, stamina, and determination than the Spurs over these 6 games. The Thunder also made very difficult shots, while also knocking down almost every open look that they were given. As difficult as it is to admit, the Thunder were the better team for a majority of this series, and seemed to almost magically morph into a champion as the series progressed.
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