BOSTON - Champions recognize champions. Matt Bonner is a two-time NBA champion. And he recognizes the New England Patriots' greatness.
Also, Bonner is a huge Patriots fans - so that makes it a lot easier to admit.
Bonner grew up in New Hampshire, but having played for the San Antonio Spurs for a decade, he's has had to watch the Patriots from afar.
He's also made sure to enjoy Sundays around his team, as being a Patriots fan affords him that extra confidence, while teammates like Tim Duncan are stuck cheering for the Bears, and David West the Lions. When Duncan doesn't have the team watching the Bears, Bonner's got them watching the Pats.
This year, Bonner has watched the Patriots go 7-0. Like the rest of Patriots Nation, he is cautiously optimistic that the Patriots will take it one week at a time.
"They're rolling," Bonner said. "Of course we learned that lesson when they lost the Super Bowl when they were 18-0, so you never count your chickens and [Bill] Belichick I'm sure won't let them. Just keep rolling. It's all about the process. Being healthy and playing your best game going into playoffs no matter what your sport is. So hopefully they're in that position."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gives his aging stars plenty of the rest during the regular season in hopes that they'll be healthy and ready to go for the playoffs.
With just 16 games, the same can't really be done in the NFL. And (though it's still very early), it'll be interesting to see how the Patriots handle the last couple weeks of the regular season if they have locked up the No. 1 overall seed but are still undefeated.
Either way, there's a big fan in San Antonio watching it all unfold.