Spurs' Finals return hinges on following Knicks' blueprint for success

There was a massive silver lining in the Spurs' disappointing loss in the 2026 NBA Finals. As a young group making their first appearance on that stage, they learned a handful of valuable lessons. The most important of those lessons was simple: they need to get better as a group with their decision-making.

San Antonio had all the talent in the world; on paper, they could compete with the Knicks. That was made apparent by the ridiculously close scores in all five games. This was not a Finals series in which one team overwhelmed the other with the number of star players on their roster.

But the Knicks gave the Spurs a crash course in execution. Whether it was their poise while playing from behind or their elite fourth-quarter play, New York met the moment by playing a savvy brand of basketball. The champs gave San Antonio a blueprint on how to improve on this stage in the future.

There was a stark difference between the Knicks' and the Spurs' point guard play

Jalen Brunson was a force in this series, adding himself to the pantheon of the greatest performers in NBA Finals history. It wasn't just his insane, difficult shot-making that left San Antonio's defense bewildered. He also did an amazing job of directing the Knicks' offense down the stretch.

Brunson was extremely reliable with the ball in clutch situations. He was patient, avoiding bad shots and keeping his team organized. He was the ultimate floor general. With him at the helm, New York played some of the best down-the-wire basketball you're ever going to see from a championship team.

Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and De'Aaron Fox could take a page out of his book. At times, they struggled to carry the same poise as Brunson, and that was most apparent in Game 3. When the Knicks mounted their fourth-quarter comeback, the Spurs' guards couldn't orchestrate the offense, leading to several stagnant, wasted possessions.

It simply comes down to experience. Brunson's been taking his playoff punches since 2022, while Fox, Harper, and Castle only had one postseason appearance combined coming into this matchup. They'll get better with time, but they need to binge-watch game tape on the Finals MVP all summer long.

Victor Wembanyama's decision-making hurt the Spurs late in games

As someone who rooted for the Spurs to win this series, I found myself severely disappointed in Wemby's late-game production. Now, I want to be fair; his raw numbers did look good for someone making their first Finals appearance, but that clutch factor was missing.

There were several possessions where San Antonio needed him to step up as a go-to scorer to put games away, and he couldn't get it done. He either missed free throws, turned the ball over, or took uncomfortable shots that he's yet to polish.

As the Spurs' best player, Wemby needed to be better during winning time with the ball in his hands. When you contrast him with Brunson in this area, there was a massive gap. It's all going to come down to him taking the initiative to master his spots as a scorer this summer.

While it's okay to be critical, we still need to see the bigger picture. Young teams are going to get taught lessons like this in their first Finals appearance. It doesn't get any simpler than that. But at this point, their biggest task is applying what they have learned to get back to this stage.

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