- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,215,751
- Reaction score
- 59
Every factoid and statistic emerging from the 2026 NBA Finals should make the San Antonio Spurs feel worse about losing to the New York Knicks in five games.
While the Knicks hoisted their first Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy since 1973, the Spurs are left holding onto generational what-ifs.
According to Scott Kacsmar, the Spurs’ +173 is the playoff point differential for a team that did not win the championship. The Spurs held a double-digit lead in every game of this series, but they inexplicably collapsed down the stretch in four of five games.
To that end, according to Rodger Sherman, the Knicks now own the Nos. 1, 4, and 6 largest comebacks in NBA Finals history. The biggest came when the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to win Game 4 at Madison Square Garden on June 10.
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“One of many things I learned is the margin of error is very, very thin,” Spurs star and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama said after losing Game 5. “Our domination stints are absolute. We absolutely dominated for most of this series, but our errors, our mistakes, are punished so hard. We can’t have ups and downs like this. The ups are OK, the downs [are] the reason we lost.”
“What I’m pissed about is that there’s probably 100 games before we can be back in the Finals,” Wembanyama said separately. “So, I don’t know how to say it in English, but I’m going to have to hold that inside of me and slow down, wait, and execute for 100 games.”
The silver lining in San Antonio is that the 2013 Spurs’ +147 is the second-highest playoff point differential for a team that didn’t win the title, and the Spurs came back stronger the following season to win the 2014 NBA Finals. The way-too-early 2027 NBA Finals odds have the Spurs as a slight favorite, per ESPN.
Related Articles
Start your unlimited Newsweek trial
Continue reading...
While the Knicks hoisted their first Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy since 1973, the Spurs are left holding onto generational what-ifs.
According to Scott Kacsmar, the Spurs’ +173 is the playoff point differential for a team that did not win the championship. The Spurs held a double-digit lead in every game of this series, but they inexplicably collapsed down the stretch in four of five games.
To that end, according to Rodger Sherman, the Knicks now own the Nos. 1, 4, and 6 largest comebacks in NBA Finals history. The biggest came when the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to win Game 4 at Madison Square Garden on June 10.
You must be registered for see images attach
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“One of many things I learned is the margin of error is very, very thin,” Spurs star and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama said after losing Game 5. “Our domination stints are absolute. We absolutely dominated for most of this series, but our errors, our mistakes, are punished so hard. We can’t have ups and downs like this. The ups are OK, the downs [are] the reason we lost.”
“What I’m pissed about is that there’s probably 100 games before we can be back in the Finals,” Wembanyama said separately. “So, I don’t know how to say it in English, but I’m going to have to hold that inside of me and slow down, wait, and execute for 100 games.”
The silver lining in San Antonio is that the 2013 Spurs’ +147 is the second-highest playoff point differential for a team that didn’t win the title, and the Spurs came back stronger the following season to win the 2014 NBA Finals. The way-too-early 2027 NBA Finals odds have the Spurs as a slight favorite, per ESPN.
Related Articles
- Villanova Basketball Reacts to Knicks NBA Championship Victory
- Julian Champagnie Had Simple Message For Stephon Castle After Loss: Report
- Mitchell Robinson Posts Emotional Message After Knicks Championship Win
Start your unlimited Newsweek trial
Continue reading...
