Needing A Miracle, Spurs Vow to Recover from 3-1 Finals Deficit: 'We're Built That Way'

SAN ANTONIO — Frankly, the San Antonio Spurs will need a miracle. A saving grace, to counter their disastrous Wednesday night, when any chance of controlling the NBA Finals slipped through their fingers and into the iconic hardwood of Madison Square Garden.

All season, the young squad pledged faith in "Basketball Gods." That if they played the right way, they'd be rewarded with riches in the form of wins and accolades.

In a pivotal Game 4 against the New York Knicks, the Spurs instead danced with the devil.

He gave them their due: a harrowing 3-1 deficit in the biggest series of the season.

"It's painful," Victor Wembanyama said late on Wednesday, coming straight from the Spurs' locker room to a small interview room adjacent the court. "Simple as that. It just hurts."

Jun 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) talks with forward Victor Wembanyama (1) against the New York Knicks during Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Having been told the legend of a raucous Knicks crowd that would be waiting for them inside "The World's Most Famous Arena" in Manhattan, the Spurs prepared well for the challenge.

In Game 3, they made up for losing back-to-back home games by convincingly stealing one back to cut the Knicks' series lead to 2-1. By halftime of Game 4, it appeared as if that trend would continue. Shooting over 60 percent from the floor helped the Spurs to a 27-point lead through two quarters; The Garden, for all intents and purposes, was dead.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, who strained to hear postgame questions from reporters over an emphatic cheer circle that broke 55 feet away, best explained the reason for its revival.

"It's a pretty clear picture," Johnson said, drowned out by screams. "If you watch the game in terms of what we did in the first half ... it was pace, finding the paint, passing the ball to your teammate (and) taking good shots. The second half was the opposite of that."

San Antonio went from setting an NBA Finals record for most made 3-pointers in a half (14) to missing five straight in the third quarter while the Knicks went on a 13-0 run.

It finished the period shooting 4-for-20 from the field and went scoreless in the paint, becoming the first team this postseason to do so over an entire quarter. By the final buzzer, New York had clawed back from its 29-point deficit and set a new NBA Finals record.

The Spurs fell on the wrong side of an amazingly historic 107-106 finish. They led for 97 percent of the contest, but the three percent decided the outcome.

“It’s a tough loss, obviously," Stephon Castle said. "It’s going to take us a minute to get over it."

Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts during the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

While New York whittled down its visitors' lead over the course of the second half, four sequences effectively sank San Antonio's chances at victory.

Wembanyama's missed free throws up by one point with just under two minutes to play began the descent, and O.G. Anunoby's block on De'Aaron Fox after the point guard nabbed a steal and opted for a layup on the other end instead of draining the clock kept it going.

Anunoby, who made a putback tip shot to give the Knicks a one-point lead on the following possession, then watched as Karl-Anthony Towns got a hand on Dylan Harper's inbound pass to Castle with 1.2 seconds to play. The Spurs failed to get a clean look on their final shot attempt of the evening, and sank into a hole only one team has ever emerged from.

Johnson, candidly, admitted the bleak reality his squad now faces.

"There's no avoiding what's happened," the coach said. "All four games have been winnable games. There's not avoiding we're down 3-1 ... there's nobody that's going to be harder on ourselves and accountable to ourselves than the people in the locker room."

Harper entered the same room his coach had a few minutes before. By the time he reached the podium, the cheering inside the arena had quieted. His demeanor still spoke loudly.

The rookie still hadn't fully processed the loss, but at his coach's request, he allowed himself to feel his emotions. Then, with a hoodie over his head, he made clear his objective.

"It's hit me," Harper said, "probably shock, you know what I mean? (But there is) a whole lot more basketball to be played. After this is over, I'll go take a shower, wash it off and go get ready for Game 5 ... just got to focus on the next 48 minutes."

Like his teammates, Harper watched the Knicks claw themselves back into a game that appeared lost. Even pitching the most efficient outing on his squad wasn't enough.

As Harper put it, the night's events provided more fuel to the fire.

"We kind of gave the game up," he said. "(But we) can't do nothing about it now."

Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives with the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Back in February, when the Spurs embarked on a perfect 11-0 stretch en route to a 24-4 post-All-Star Break record, their first loss coming off the long run came at the hands of the Knicks. Opponent aside, that night taught them an important lesson: they weren't humbled, but rather enlightened at their own shortcomings.

"It made us realize that we're not invincible," Castle explained. "If we don't do the things we're supposed to, we're still a beatable team ... it just gave us a view on how good we are when we do all the right things, and when we play the way we're supposed to."

Castle noted the presence of fun throughout that stretch and even in the games that followed. They've often described themselves as "one big AAU team," and it can be seen in their pregame rituals that typically involve karaoke sessions and hip thrusts.

Battling through the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder on the way to their first NBA Finals berth since 2014, the Spurs seldom lost that spark. Now down 3-1 with their season on the line, the goal is not to let it fizzle out.

How do they plan to preserve the magic they've built to this point?

"(By) holding each other accountable," Wembanyama said confidently. "Communicating. Not pointing fingers. And after that, we've either got it or we don't. But we've proven that we can surpass these difficulties ... I'm convinced we're built that way."

Added Castle: "It’s still first to four ... we've made history all year. We've proven that, with our backs against the wall, we can step up. I don't expect this to be any different."

Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) reacts with guard Devin Vassell (24) after making a basket against the New York Knicks during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

To win three straight games and hoist their sixth Larry O'Brien trophy in franchise history, the Spurs know they'll need to cut back on mistakes — holding on to a 29-point lead, or looking back for a split second longer while moving the ball in transition in crunch time.

Or, if you asked the team, it may simply need to keep the faith it has in itself.

Johnson gave his players a few hours Wednesday night to get out the disappointment they all felt after falling short in Game 4. But asked at which point he felt like all hope was lost?

"I didn't feel that until the clock hit zeros," Johnson said.

In Wembanyama's words, the Spurs can take one of two paths forward beginning at home on Saturday. They can either give up and move on to next season, or they can "get stronger" and lean on each other more than they already do. He's partial to the latter.

"Everybody thinks — everybody knows — we're going to do it," Wembanyama said. " We need to ... take it one game at a time. It'd be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple."

Taking the court at Frost Bank Center for what they hope won't be the final time of the season, the Spurs don't plan to change much. Like they have all season, they'll look to start fast, move the ball, crash the glass and play suffocating defense.

They'll also point their heads and hands to the sky and trust in the "Basketball Gods," the way Gregg Popovich has taught them to. And that's when they'll pray for a miracle.

"If we're going to lose, we're not going out like that," Harper said. "We’re going to put up a fight. We’re going to keep swinging we're going to ... show the world what we’re made of.”

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