[“It definitely made me stronger, but it definitely kept my head down. It happened the last two years. I really don’t know what’s going on. It messes my head up. It’s tough. Boris came and was a better fit. At the same time, I stayed positive and had a great at ude and kept going and had a lot of class. I grew up a lot.”
Blair turned 23 as the post-lockout season concluded in late April. What has happened since requires maturity.
“The Spurs are excellent,” he said. “They used me to get everybody going and just get to the playoffs. That’s what it’s seemed like the last two seasons. But it’s a business, and everybody has their role, and I played mine, obviously, in the season. That’s proved right now.
“We were No. 1 the last two seasons when I was starting, and then lost in the playoffs when I wasn’t. That’s just, well, I don’t know, common sense.