Even before Bradley Beal’s buzzer-beater sent the Spurs to a 102-99 loss in Washington on Wednesday, Manu Ginobili’s trip to the nation’s capital had been a dud.

The Spurs’ resident tour guide, Ginobili had organized a team venture to the top of the Washington Monument the day before.

Those plans had to be scuttled when the Spurs’ charter plane arrived in D.C. behind schedule.

“I was really upset,” Ginobili said. “I had never been before, and I had a couple guys coming. I thought it was going to be fun. Then we got there too late.”

If Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has his way, there will be more team field trips — and more dinners and fat-chewing sessions — to come.

Popovich has always been big on team-bonding experiences.

Chemistry, he says, doesn’t happen magically on the court. It is first built off the court, as players get to know one another and care about one another.

“They’ve got to know there’s more to life out there and you care about things beyond basketball,” Popovich said. “It makes them feel part of a bigger entity. They start to get to know one another, share ideas, be more responsible and enjoy each other.”

On a previous trip to Washington a few years ago, Popovich organized a team trip to the Holocaust Museum.

During training camp in 2013, Popovich had players spend a day at a military obstacle course at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

When the team played in Berlin in the 2014 preseason, Popovich arranged for players to visit the Berlin Wall.

Washington forward DeJuan Blair played four seasons with the Spurs. He said his most lasting memory came in 2010, when he and George Hill accompanied Popovich on a trip to visit the coach’s hometown in northwest Indiana.

“That was a big moment for me,” Blair said.

In Popovich’s view, a team that gets along off the court has a greater chance of success once the games tip off.

“The more you know about a person, the more you want to play with that person,” Popovich said. “More importantly, it makes you want to play for that person.”

Players annually point to the February rodeo trip — when they are sequestered together for 10 days or more at a time — as a key period in every season.

Popovich often encourages players to put together their own outings on the road, as Ginobili attempted in D.C. this week.

“He likes it that we go and do things together,” Ginobili said. “After wins and after losses, we get together and we talk and we get to know each other. I think it helps.”

That getting-to-know-you process has become even more vital for the Spurs during this unprecedented season of change.

There have been occasional and expected bumps in the drive to acclimate a host of newcomers, most notably LaMarcus Aldridge and David West. The evidence is there in the Spurs’ 3-2 start.

The offense seemed out of sync at key moments of Wednesday’s loss to the Wizards. Three of the Spurs’ starters — Aldridge, Tim Duncan and Danny Green — had more turnovers than field goals.

Communication breakdowns on defense gave way to big baskets for Washington, including Beal’s game-winning 3-point shot.

“Our team has changed and our philosophy has changed,” Duncan said. “We’ve got to find our roles and find what works.”

That will come with time as players get used to playing together in new and unfamiliar combinations.

Though the Spurs’ issues won’t be solved in, say, a single trip to Six Flags, bonding moments on the road don’t hurt either.

Point guard Tony Parker said Popovich’s unique approach to chemistry-building makes the Spurs feel like something different than an NBA team.

“It reminds me of being with the national team in France,” Parker said.

The Spurs’ newcomers notice the difference as well.

“Everything is about the team,” West said. “Those guys have been great making me feel welcome, and being as open as they can.”

Said Aldridge: “It’s like a family atmosphere here.”

Sometimes, that family is the Griswolds of National Lampoon’s fame.

So it was this week, when Ginobili led his gang to the Washington Monument, only to find it closed.

Popovich at least had to appreciate Ginobili’s effort at forging a connection. The closer the Spurs are off the court, the better they might become on it.

“We’re very aware of trying to put together a team that feels responsibility to each other and enjoys playing with each other,” Popovich said. “We try to do what we can to encourage that. It works better than the other way.”

jmcdonald

@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN