If there's any truth to one of coaches' favorite clichés — you either win or you learn — the New York Knicks gave the San Antonio Spurs a whole bunch of information throughout the 2026 NBA Finals. The Western Conference representatives earned their spot in the series with an impressive trio of performances against their first three playoff opponents.
In an offseason interview done alongside Stephon Castle with GQ, the pair of young stars showed that they're right in the midst of learning from those losses, and taking some important lessons away from them. Harper took what could be interpreted as a hilariously veiled shot at the Knicks' roster construction, but was ultimately more of a tip of the cap to their earned experience, when he cited their off-court camaraderie as a deciding factor in June's five-game series.
“We lost to f---ing four best friends...it makes everything flow better,” Harper told GQ. Castle agreed, telling the magazine's Cam Wolf that off-court friendship correlates positively with on-court results.
The Knicks seemed to bring the worst out of the young Spurs group. Victor Wembanyama's team lost each of their first two games at home in San Antonio, with the downsides of their youth on full display — lowlighted by the center's costly turnover off Castle's back at the very end of Game 2. Now, though, San Antonio knows exactly what they need to improve on. And they know exactly how it'll feel if they make it back to the NBA Finals and don't get the job done.
Knicks delivered the Spurs a cyclically necessary loss in the Finals
The Spurs came away from The Finals with invaluable experience — experience they clearly lacked during the series — and a better understanding of how pivotal every possession can be in the NBA Playoffs. Minnesota Lynx star rookie Olivia Miles just spoke about this after her first season as a WNBA player ended, at the hands of the crosstown New York Liberty on Tuesday.
Harper and Castle are some of the most integral players to San Antonio's approach on both ends of the court. That means that, alongside Wembanyama, they'll need to be some of their best leaders. The funny moments in their interview shouldn't take away from the sense that both are well on their way.
The Knicks even helped add to the Spurs' young core this offseason, setting San Antonio up with the first-round draft selection they needed to add Connecticut center Tarris Reed Jr. It certainly shouldn't surprise anyone if these two teams meet up in a championship game again, whether it's back in the NBA Cup Finals — or a best-of-seven rematch of the league's more consequential tournament.
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