NBA execs left it at that. They didn't call the Spurs on Wednesday to protest, and they didn't consider a fine, because there was nothing to say.

After all, how can the NBA lecture Popovich about hurting the product - when the league hurts it more?

The NBA can't fine a franchise for not playing certain players, especially after an inactive list replaced a system that once encouraged teams to invent phantom injuries. The league had even less leverage this time; the Spurs almost won with an Oberto-Hairston frontline combo.

The remaining Spurs worked their system, and they were within four points late. Then George Karl looked as if he, not Popovich, was the one who had arrived at his hotel at 4 a.m.

"I don't think I had anything on my mind except anger," Karl told reporters afterward.

So the issue became nothing more on Wednesday than a part of the usual ESPN debate shows, albeit with a twist. Usually everyone complains when they have to watch the Spurs play. This time, they complained when they had to watch them sit.

They wanted to know if Popovich had done a disservice to the Nuggets fan who paid $90 to see a showdown of divisional leaders, and the answer is clear. Yes. The NBA should hope others don't copy this, and so should Spurs fans.

For example: The Cavaliers play in San Antonio later this month, after a game the night before in Houston, and maybe Cleveland thinks LeBron James should rest on the only night he's in San Antonio.

But the league is probably safe from such a future. Popovich is one of the few coaches who so casually trades a loss in February for the promise of more.

This time, he may have traded a head-to-head edge that could affect playoff position. Kenyon Martin was out with the flu, and Chauncey Billups left with a sprained ankle, and the Spurs still had a lineup made for October.

Popovich could have rested his older players. But Tony Parker? And without another game until Sunday in Boston, Popovich could have simply started the usual lineup and adjusted as the game went along.

The Spurs were tired, sure, but that's the history of the game. In 1972, when the Lakers were putting together their historic 33-game winning streak, they flew commercial - and twice in that stretch, they played three games in a row.

But none of it matters to Popovich. Not history, not business, not the standings. He manages the energy of his team with a sense of the physical and emotional.

Tuesday, instead of pushing his guys, he chose to push them into chairs. During all of it, Popovich looked more relaxed than he has in months. By giving the Big Three the night off, he had given himself the night off, too.

There was also something else going on. Coming off an overtime win in Oakland, losing an hour in the air, landing in an airport that is an hour from downtown Denver, Popovich saw the madness.

In mid-December, the Spurs faced the same. They played in New Orleans on ESPN, and the game started an hour later than usual. The next night, they played in Orlando, on TNT, and this time, it was an early tip.

There were only 211/2 hours from start to start - and in between, there was a game and a flight. This is what the league chose to sell on national television.

The unfairness is usually spread around when cramming 82 games into six months. Though not always. A year ago, the Cavaliers, for example, were matched against nine teams who were playing the second of a back-to-back. Some other teams had nearly 30.

There are also specific moments when the schedule is more than a nuisance. It's a blockade. And somewhere after OT in Oakland and before the tip in Denver, the employer of the month made a decision.

Why not bench the core of his team? The league, in effect, already had.

bharvey@express-news.net