San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will miss Thursday's playoff clash with the Golden State Warriors following the death of his wife after a long illness, the team confirmed. Popovich's assistant Ettore Messina will take over the coaching duties for Thursday's game three, which comes a day after Erin Popovich passed away at the age of 67. "We're all suffering a profound loss to a really important member of our family and our team," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said.