Lots of emotions flowed through Frost Bank Center last night. An estimated 44% of tickets purchased for Game 5 were done so by New York Knicks fans, so when the final buzzer reigned in a champion, their fans were there to cheer them through the trophy presentation.
In the press room, Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson and members of the Spurs took turns answering questions just moments after the reality set in that there was no tomorrow to the 2025-2026 season.
‘The general sentiment is just I want them to feel all the emotions. I feel that, too,“ stated Johnson. ”Whatever they feel, that’s real. That’s what is competitiveness. That’s what makes you better. That’s what pushes you to continue to improve in the dark, long hours when nobody is around. We improved a whole lot this year. We still have a lot now. More motivation to continue to get better.“
Victor Wembanyama, who has been open about his emotions throughout the season, did not hold back his frustration. But already permeating through the loss is his hope and positivity for what is to come.
“I think that compared to anything before, this is the biggest lesson of my life, the biggest learning moment,” he stated in his postgame conference. “I can’t tell you exactly what the lesson is, but we’re learning from that, for sure. I’m learning more than any other time in my life before.”
Fans have seen Wembanyama’s reaction to big losses. The video of France losing to Team USA (and the genesis of the “feud” between him and Chet Holmgren) when he was a youngster. The 2024 Olympic loss to Team USA. And now his first foray into the NBA Finals. Wemby is facing temporary heartache, but has long-term gains to reap from the experience.
“I don’t think we could have learned more and gained more experience in one Playoff run and in one season, and
personally in 18 months,“ he shared. ”It’s been hard and full of lessons.“
Devin Vassell, the second longest tenured member of the Spurs roster, gave a shout to the fans who’ve been with the team through thick and thin.
“First off to the fans, just thank you guys so much for supporting us, especially in my journey being here six years, from where we started from the 20 wins we were at to being in the Finals,” Vassell said. “They’ve been loyal. I just
want to say thank you to them. Without them and the noise, having our backs, we’re not in this situation, we’re not in this position. Thank you to them.“
Dylan Harper said he’d remember “The chemistry, how everyone blended. Really the sacrifices we all made to be in the position we were in.”
And Julian Champagnie had a message for everyone: “We’ll be back again next year.”
There were so many positives in these Finals for the Spurs to build upon. The lessons will take shape over the summer and their hope is it will carry them into next season with more awareness and better preparation.
“I think with these games in the Finals, it just shows that every possession matters and every little detail matters,” stated Vassell. “You can mess up some stuff in the regular season and still kind of get away with it. Obviously in the Finals, with everything being amplified, one mistake can cost you a game. I think we had a couple that cost us multiple.”
Dylan Harper, after completing his rookie season as the youngest player in NBA Finals history to score 20+ points in a game shared, “It meant a lot. Whole lot to grow on. Whole lot to learn on. At the end of the day, this is my first year. Can’t keep moving forward if you don’t got a positive attitude. Obviously we lost and I wanted to win that, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to bounce back.”
‘I learned one of many things, the margin of error is very thin,“ Wembanyam stated. ”Our domination stints are absolute. We absolutely dominated for most of the series. But our errors, our mistakes, are punished so hard that we can’t have ups and downs like this.“
Perhaps Mitch Johnson said it best. “I hope they take the same thing that we’ve taken from our success. I hope it leads to them be hungrier than they’ve ever been, and I hope it leads them to be more motivated than they’ve ever been, and hopefully that leads them to be more — yeah, just to continue to improve in every facet.”
In the coming days and weeks, much will be said about the collapse of the young, inexperienced team. But what will be made clear was how the Spurs responded with real time adjustments. After each loss, they were able to reset. In the end, they knocked out the Minnesota Timberwolves who’d been to the Western Conference Finals for the last two years. They also knocked out the 2025 Champion OKC Thunder in their series, taking Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
In these Finals, unfortunately, the Knicks were able to cover their mistakes better than the Spurs. From Brunson’s struggles in Games 1 and 2, to Karl-Anthony Towns disappearance in Game 5 (as well as his fourth quarter struggles throughout the series), the Knicks were the same one or two mistakes, one or two calls, one or two missed shots away from watching the Spurs hoist the Larry O’Brien. Simple twists of fate have given New York their first title since 1973, the year the San Antonio bought the Dallas Chaparrals and created the Spurs.
Over the last 53 seasons, the Spurs have had ups and downs, more ups compared to other franchises. The pairing of Gregg Popovich with Tim Duncan created one of sports greatest love stories. With the addition of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and supporting casts throughout Duncan’s nineteen seasons, the Spurs became a model franchise winning five NBA titles in three different decades.
Make no mistake, this modern-day Spurs team is special, and like their predecessor, they are not going away. They are developing at a rapid rate. And boasting one of the most gifted basketball minds as their cornerstone, the Spurs are poised to dominate for years to come.
Make no mistake, this Finals was just the beginning. They may have not been ready this season, but when they are — watch out.
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