Spurs Reflect on NBA Finals Loss as Knicks Celebrate Victory

On June 15, 2026, the New York Knicks celebrated a momentous win, capturing the NBA Championship for the first time since 1973. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games, leaving the Spurs to ponder what went wrong.

The Spurs’ playoff run was notable for their impressive +173 point differential, the highest for any team not to win the championship, according to Scott Kacsmar. Despite leading by double digits in every game of the series, the Spurs couldn’t maintain their advantage and collapsed in four of the five games.

The Knicks made history by achieving three of the largest comebacks in NBA Finals history, as noted by Rodger Sherman. Their most significant feat was overcoming a 29-point deficit in Game 4, securing victory at Madison Square Garden on June 10.

“One of many things I learned is the margin of error is very, very thin,” said Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs’ star and NBA Defensive Player of the Year, after the Game 5 loss. “We absolutely dominated for most of this series, but our mistakes are punished hard. The ups are OK, the downs [are] the reason we lost.”

Wembanyama’s frustration was evident as he acknowledged the long wait until they could potentially return to the Finals. “What I’m pissed about is that there’s probably 100 games before we can be back in the Finals,” he expressed. “So, I’m going to have to hold that inside of me and slow down, wait, and execute for 100 games.”

San Antonio can draw some comfort from history. The 2013 Spurs had a similar experience, with a +147 point differential, and they bounced back to win the 2014 NBA Finals. Early predictions for the 2027 season have the Spurs as slight favorites to reclaim the title, according to ESPN.