The mood inside the San Antonio Spurs practice facility Friday was neither defeated nor delusional.
Down 3-1 in the NBA Finals and facing elimination in Game 5 against the New York Knicks, the Spurs understand the gravity of their situation. They also understand something else: every game in this series has been within their grasp.
That belief echoed throughout practice as players and coaches repeatedly returned to a simple theme—focus on the next game, not the mountain that stands ahead.
“We need to go 1-0,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell said. “Whatever we need to do for that to happen, we’ve got to do that.”
The Spurs enter Game 5 carrying the sting of one of the most painful losses in franchise history. After building a 22-point lead in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, San Antonio watched the Knicks storm back to steal a victory and move within one win of their first NBA championship since 1973.
For Vassell, the disappointment lingered for about a day.
“Yesterday was probably the most I thought about it,” he admitted. “I thought about it that night, thought about it yesterday. Woke up this morning ready to go, ready to execute the game plan for the next day.”
That mindset was shared throughout the locker room.
The Spurs are not interested in dwelling on missed opportunities, even though there have been plenty. They have held double-digit leads in every game of the series and still find themselves one loss away from elimination.
“It’s frustrating to be down,” De’Aaron Fox said. “But we still have this belief because we’ve seen it. We’ve seen it be done, that teams have come back from 3-1.”
Fox pointed out that despite the deficit, the Spurs have controlled significant portions of all four games.
“We’ve had the largest lead in all four games,” Fox said. “We’ve lost those leads. Every time we get this lead, that’s when the game starts.”
Defensive Identity Must Return
If there was one consistent message throughout Friday’s media session, it was defense.
The Spurs believe their defensive breakdowns—not their offense—have been the root cause of their collapse in Game 4 and their struggles closing out games throughout the series.
“We’ve always said that we’re a defensive team,” Vassell said. “When we’re not getting stops, when we’re not communicating, when we’re not doing the things that got us into position that got us a lead, everything else trickles down.”
Stephon Castle echoed that assessment after reviewing the film.
“We got let off the hook a lot in the second half,” the rookie guard said. “We had some bad defensive possessions, and even though they didn’t make the shot, it didn’t really feel that bad. Eventually they started to fall.”
Castle believes the Spurs became complacent after building their large lead.
“I feel like if we would have just played like it was 0-0 instead of kind of taking our foot off the gas and acting like we had a lead, that’s what sparked their comeback.”
Fox pointed to the same issue.
“When we’re doing the things we’re supposed to do, we’re forcing them into tougher shots,” he said. “When we’re not doing those things, they’re making their run.”
Mitch Johnson Owns His Role
Interim head coach Mitch Johnson did not shy away from responsibility during Friday’s session.
After reviewing the film, Johnson acknowledged there were decisions he could have handled differently, particularly regarding Victor Wembanyama’s workload.
The Spurs superstar logged 44 minutes in Game 4 before appearing fatigued late in the contest.
“Looking back on the game, I think I could have done better in that regard,” Johnson said. “I have to make sure that I help him have the energy required to finish the game as strong as he needs to finish the game.”
Johnson also identified the third quarter—not the fourth—as the most disappointing stretch of the game.
While much attention has focused on the Knicks’ late comeback, Johnson believes warning signs emerged much earlier.
“There was a lot of things that we did where it felt like we could have put our energy into the right spots in that third quarter,” Johnson said. “We weren’t as connected and disciplined as we should have been.”
Despite the setback, Johnson remains convinced the Spurs have what it takes to extend the series.
“There’s no trick,” Johnson said. “There’s conviction in strength and confidence.”
Wembanyama Believes the Spurs Can Still Do It
For all the discussion about blown leads and missed opportunities, Victor Wembanyama offered perhaps the strongest statement of confidence Friday.
When asked whether the team still believes it can rally from a 3-1 deficit, the Spurs superstar didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely,” Wembanyama said. “Everybody thinks, everybody knows, we’re going to do it.”
That confidence comes despite acknowledging how difficult the Game 4 loss was to process.
“It was harder than any other game before, by far,” Wembanyama admitted. “But now we’re over it.”
The 7-foot-5 phenom believes the Spurs have learned valuable lessons throughout their playoff run.
“It felt like we haven’t skipped any steps because we’ve made almost every mistake we could have possibly done,” Wembanyama said. “We’ve learned from them.”
His message was clear: learn from the mistakes, don’t relive them.
“There were a thousand ways we could have not lost that game,” he said. “There was a time to process this and really dwell on it. But not anymore.”
Embracing the Challenge
The history facing San Antonio is daunting.
Only one team in NBA Finals history has overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. Ironically, Spurs veteran Harrison Barnes was on the losing side of that historic 2016 Golden State Warriors collapse against Cleveland.
While Barnes hasn’t yet shared that experience with the team, several players acknowledged the possibility of making history.
“It definitely matters,” Castle said. “We’ve made history all year. We’ve proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up.”
Still, nearly every player cautioned against thinking too far ahead.
The phrase “one game at a time” surfaced repeatedly throughout practice.
Vassell said it.
Fox repeated it.
Wembanyama reinforced it.
For a team staring at elimination, the focus remains narrow.
“You’re not looking at winning three games,” Fox said. “You’re looking at winning tomorrow and giving yourself a chance to play another game.”
One More Opportunity
As Game 5 approaches, the Spurs find themselves in a peculiar position.
They’re down 3-1, yet they remain convinced they can win this series.
They’ve blown leads, yet they believe they’ve been the better team for long stretches.
They’ve suffered a devastating loss, yet confidence still fills the locker room.
Whether that confidence translates into another victory remains to be seen.
But if Friday’s practice revealed anything, it’s that San Antonio isn’t interested in discussing the end of its season.
Not yet.
The Spurs still believe there’s another chapter to write.
And for at least one more night, that’s enough.
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