Popovich's psychological warfare terrorized LeBron James before a single whistle

LeBron James has changed quite a bit over the years. He used to go into complete radio silence when the playoffs began. He called it "Zero-Dark Thirty." The Lakers' star was known for removing himself from social media, as his focus and intensity increased to meet the challenge the postseason is known for bringing.

That's no longer the case. In his older age, James has eased up on those self-imposed restrictions and even takes time between games to record his podcast with his co-host, Steve Nash. In a recent episode, he spoke glowingly about Coach Popovich and the Spurs teams he had to deal with.

"When you play the Spurs, not only are you trying to defeat the Hall of Fame players, you're also trying to defeat the Hall of Fame coach," James said. "...I have to guard Tony, Manu, Timmy, and then you see, okay, maybe they may be a little tired this quarter, maybe, and then you look to the sideline, and you got Pop over there, and he's like, on the floor as well, but standing on the sideline."

Popovich's greatness can't be overstated and LeBron felt it

The San Antonio Spurs vs. LeBron James was one of the most fun rivalries of the previous decade, albeit brief. When they met King James in the 2007 NBA Finals, it resulted in a sweep. Bron brought the Cavaliers to the precipice ahead of their time, and they ran into a buzz saw. There was no rivalry then.

When he joined the Miami Heat around the same time the Spurs were elevating to god-status in the West, a collision course was carved out, and gamesmanship eventually began between the two franchises. Resting players during regular-season games against each other was almost expected by 2014 as neither wanted to reveal any of the strategies they'd use in a potential NBA Finals matchup.

Playing the same team in back-to-back years for the championship is what built those feelings of resentment for James among many Spurs fans.

You could see the master at work in the 2013 series when San Antonio and Miami finally clashed in an epic series that ended in sadness for Spurs Nation. But you have to give LeBron and the Heat credit for overcoming the obstacles put in their way by Pop.

He had guys playing off of Bron, giving him the open shot, and though it's an area he had improved, it threw the Miami star off his game. He began doubting himself and missing wide-open shots as Popovich kept daring him to beat the Silver and Black with a part of his game that was still being polished.

"You know when you come into a series, versus a Gregg Popovich team, versus a Bill Belichick football team," James added. "You know, we have to beat them. They're not going to beat themselves. You know that. So you're already mentally drained before you even get into it. It's like, you start to put more pressure on yourself, saying we got to play perfect basketball, which is impossible."

James highlights an important point that was key to the success of Pop's teams. The consistency of their discipline to take care of the small details and fundamentals made them extremely difficult to topple. It was a staple of his coaching, and he knew how to get the best out of guys.

As great as LeBron James was at the time, Popovich was a bane to his existence. He likely had some sleepless nights, trying to figure out how to attack a team that played so well together on both sides of the ball. Maybe even nightmares. Okay, maybe not nightmares, but there's a reason he's the longest-tenured coach in the league and the most winningest coach in NBA history.

Watch the episode from Mind the Game below