GREG: HE BECAME TO BE KNOWN
FOR HIS COLORFUL SUITS.
NOW CRAIG SAGER IS BATTLING
CANCER, ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA.
CYCLES OF CHEMO WITH ROUND THE
CLOCK CYCLES.
HE'S BEEN GIVEN THREE TO SIX
MONTHS TO LIVE.
HE SHOWS UP TO WORK WITH A SMILE
ON HIS FACE AND REMAINS
OPTIMISTIC.
UNWAVERING SUPPORT IS KNOWN
WORLDWIDE.
TONIGHT, LARRY RAMIREZ VISITS
WITH CRAIG SAGER WHO FEELS LIKE
THE BOND WITH POP IS EVEN
STRONGER NOW.
LARRY: I'M HERE WITH THE
GREAT CRAIG SAGER.
YOU ARE A GREAT MAN, PEOPLE LOVE
YOU.
LET ME GET YOUR THOUGHTS FROM
COACH POP'S JACKET FROM GAME
THREE.
WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR
JACKET?
ILL THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT.
I COMPLIMENTED HIM TODAY AND HE
SAID, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK I
LOOK LIKE BECKY HAMMOND.
I SAID I DON'T KNOW, YOU LOOK
GREAT.
THEN HE SAW THE SERE SUCKER, HE
SAID THAT'S GOOD, MAYBE I SHOULD
GET ONE OF THOSE.
HE'S COMING AROUND.
LARRY: POP IS NOT NORMALLY
FLASHY LIKE THAT.
WERE YOU SURPRISED?
I TOLD HIM HE LOOKED GOOD.
THAT'S WHY I COMPLIMENTED HIM.
AND YOU HAVE TO FEEL
COMFORTABLE.
WHEN HE CAME BACK WITH -- I FELT
LIKE BECKY HAMMOND, I DON'T
THINK HE WAS REAL COMFORTABLE.
LARRY: YOU HAVE A GREAT --
MAYBE NOT GREAT, BUT IT APPEARS
YOU HAVE A SOLID RELATIONSHIP
WITH POP.
YOU KNOW HOW HE CAN BE WITH
LOCAL MEDIA GUYS AND GAMMS WITH
THE NATIONAL MEDIA.
YOU TWO HAVE A SPECIAL
FRIENDSHIP, TELL ME ABOUT THAT?
WE GO BACK A LOT OF YEARS.
AND ONCE WE STARTED DOING THE
INTERVIEWS WITH COACHES BETWEEN
QUARTERS, OH, MY GOD, YOU KNOW,
TO POP, THAT'S A NUISANCE.
I MEAN, YOU'RE INFILTRATING HIS
SP
SPACE.
HE WANTS TO TALK TO HIS TEAM,
MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, MAKE
SUBSTITUTIONS, MOTIVATE.
NOW HE HAS TO STOP AND TALK TO
ME?
SO I UNDERSTAND WHERE HE'S
COMING FROM.
BUT THOSE ARE THE RULES, COACH.
AND I'M JUST DOING MY JOB.
SO WE'VE HAD SOME BATTLES
THROUGH THE YEARS.
THE PROBLEM IS, NOT A PROBLEM,
BUT THE FACTS, I CAN'T BANTER
BACK AND FORTH BECAUSE IT'S SUCH
A SHORT TIME PERIOD.
I'M LIKE THE STRAIGHT GUY.
WHATEVER HE WANTS TO SAY, YES,
SIR, YES, SIR, YES, SIR.
IT'S A LOT OF FUN.
BUT I KNOW THAT HE REALLY
RESPECTS YOU, HE SAID HE DOES.
HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL THAT
THAT MAN, A GOOD MAN, AN AWESOME
BASKETBALL COACH RESPECTS YOU?
MEANS A LOT.
YOU KNOW, I -- WHEN I FIRST
DIAGNOSED WITH LEUKEMIA, THE
SUPPORT I GOT WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
AND FROM THE COMMISSIONER ON
DOWN TO COACHES, PLAYERS,
REFEREES, INMEAN US HEARING FROM
SO MANY PEOPLE, FANS IN THE NBA.
SO THEN I WENT TO THE BATTLE AND
THEN MET WITH MY SON.
I GOT A CARD ONE DAY FROM COACH
POP.
I DIDN'T SHARE THE WHOLE THING.
HE DIDN'T PUT OUT A TWEET.
IT WAS PERSONAL TO ME.
BUT TO SUM IT ALL UP, HE WAS
TALKING ABOUT HOW TOUGH I WAS
FIGHTING AND HOW HE ADMIRED MY
EFFORT AND HOW I ALWAYS THOUGHT
I WAS A TEAM PLAYER AND I COULD
PLAY ON HIS TEAM ANY DAY.
YOU GET THAT FROM COACH POP.
YOU'RE SITTING THERE.
HE SAYS YOU CAN BE ON MY TEAM
ANY DAY.
LIKE COME ON, GET ME UP, GET ME
OUT OF HERE.
MAN.
THAT'S VERY INSPIRATIONAL.
LAST THING, YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THIS PLAYOFF SERIES SO FAR
BETWEEN THE SPURS AND THUNDER.
I JUST THINK THAT THE SPURS
ARE SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH.
YOU KNOW?
WE TALK ABOUT GOLDEN STATE BEING
GREAT.
YOU KNOW, THE EXPLOSIVE TEAM AND
THE OFFENSE.
BUT JUST TO WATCH THE WAY THE
SPURS COMMUNICATE AND MOVE
TOGETHER, WHETHER IT'S IN THE,
YOU KNOW, GAME ONE BLOWOUT OR IN
THE GAME THREE SHUTTING THEM
DOWN DEFENSEIVELY AT THE END OF
THE GAME, IT'S JUST -- THAT'S
THE WAY THE GAME IS SUPPOSED TO
BE PLAYED.
AND THEY JUST PLAY SO WELL AND
SO COMMUNICATING TOGETHER AND
IT'S JUST A PLEASURE TO WATCH.
AND, YOU KNOW, I START AN
EIGHT-DAY CYCLE OF CHEMO ON
MONDAY AT MD ANDERSON IN
HOUSTON.
SO I'LL BE COMMUTING BACK AND
FORTH, EITHER SAN ANTONIO ON A
DAILY BASIS.
IT'S WOUNF THE THINGS THAT IF
IT'S OVER IN FIVE, IT'S BETTER
FOR ME.
LARRY: IT WAS A PLEASURE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME.