For the first time in 12 years, the NBA’s Larry O’Brien trophy was awarded at the Frost Bank Center — but San Antonio’s wait for a title continues. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson scored 45 points and the visitors closed out the NBA Finals with a 94-90 victory on Saturday to win their first NBA title since 1973. 20-year-old rookie guard Dylan Harper had the best game of his young career, finishing with 25 points as the Spurs’ season concluded with a 4-1 series loss on the doorstep of a sixth championship.
The Spurs continued a seemingly inevitable pattern in this Finals series, relinquishing a double-digit lead and crumbling in the fourth quarter against Brunson’s offensive prowess. After San Antonio led 83-73 with eight minutes remaining, the Knicks started a 10-0 scoring run to tie the game thanks to Brunson’s scoring. The Spurs were unable to find a defensive solution against the stop-and-start ability of the NBA’s newest Finals MVP. New York seized its first lead since the first quarter, an 86-85 edge with 3:40 remaining, and iced the game through heart-pounding minutes.
Harper nailed a jump shot that tied the game with just over a minute remaining, adding to his stellar performance on the night, but Brunson matched him on the next possession to retake the lead. San Antonio had its chances to extend the series, but missed two shots on the next two possessions. The Spurs desperately fouled to stop the clock and New York missed a free throw to take a four-point lead, but Knicks center Mitchell Robinson snatched the offensive rebound to turn the remainder of the game into a formality.
The Spurs led for 72% of this series, but youth and inexperience combined for late-game collapses in each of the four Finals losses. Guiding the team through the gauntlet was a coach in his first full season at the helm. The team’s stars — Harper, center Victor Wembanyama and guard Stephon Castle — are all under 22 years old. Last season, the franchise brought in 29-year-old veteran point guard De’Aaron Fox, who had only played in one playoff series in his career. While brimming with talent, San Antonio could not overcome the gulf in poise and composure evident against the Knicks.
“We weren’t ready to win an NBA championship,” coach Mitch Johnson stated. “The better team won. We did a lot of good things, and we didn’t finish the job.”
NBA MVP finalist Wembanyama disappointed offensively in the final game of his third season, scoring 19 points on 7-for-19 shooting. The superstar was largely absent from the final stretch of the game, failing to score in the last 10 minutes. In comparison, Brunson totaled 15 points in the same time frame. New York’s leader stepped up in the biggest moment, while San Antonio’s went quiet.
“It’s painful,” Wembanyama said. “I’m not satisfied with not winning. This is the biggest lesson of my life. As a team, there’s no better experience than what we just lived.”
San Antonio shot far below average on Saturday, finishing 38% from the field and 63% at the free throw line. Only four Spurs finished in double figures in the low-scoring affair, with forward Devin Vassell and forward Julian Champagnie joining Harper and Wembanyama. De’Aaron Fox shot a woeful 3-for-15 from the field and 1-for-8 on 3-pointers to finish with seven points.
Despite the painful ending, the Spurs drastically outperformed expectations this season. Winning the Western Conference finals after a 62-win regular season proved that San Antonio’s team is a perennial contender for the title. The Spurs have five months to retool before their next shot at the franchise’s sixth championship beginning in mid-October.
