Spurs Nation

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, on the Game 1 offense: “We got satisfied with probably a decent look, knowing that we can make those kind of shots. I think we got satisfied with that a lot more than we usually do throughout the year. I think it cost us.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama: “Really, I think the reason we lost that game isn’t even technical or tactical. We need to approach the game with a better mental state,  and we just need to play our game. We just need to be normal. We don’t need to be anything incredible.”

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson on the Spurs: “They come ready to play more than any other team that we've faced, and so we have the utmost respect for them. We know we have to be ready for Game 2. We just found a way to make plays within the game.”

Knicks coach Mike Brown, on Jalen Brunson: “In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that's what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him. And he got it done for us, and that's happened time after time after time.”

Spurs guard Dylan Harper, on a Game 1 loss: “Sometimes it doesn’t go your way. ... For us, it’s more about playing the long game and just being consistent in our habits. I think that's the biggest part. I feel like if we just stay consistent, everything's going to work out.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson: “Missing shots or not, 16 assists for us is not our brand of basketball. ... That's something that is not up to the standard, anywhere close to what we're used to and how we play.”

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, on the Knicks' paint scoring: “I think their offensive rebounds, and probably just containing the ball. I feel like a lot of their drives were on-the-ball drives. They weren’t really, we help there, somebody else gets an in-rhythm catch.”

Spurs guard Devin Vassell: “We know we have to control the boards. In this series, they like to crash the glass. So it can’t just be one half where we’re crashing the glass. We have to help Vic. We have to help the bigs down there. That's going to be a huge part of the series.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, on Game 1: “I’m going to figure it out. I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on the atmosphere entering Game 1 of the NBA Finals: “Today feels somewhat familiar, especially going through it last series. I know it’s the finals so there’s a little added. But a lot of that is outside of our world.”

Spurs center Luke Kornet, on the importance of rebounding against the Knicks: “A lot of it is just commitment level, and the level of physicality, and knowing that’s an emphasis. Obviously we like to play with a lot of pace and speed, but we have to secure the ball first.”

Spurs center Luke Kornet, on his chase-down block in the Western Conference finals: “It's funny, in the moment I felt like I was just making a play and didn’t really have any sense of it being something that would become something a lot of people talk about.”

Spurs center Luke Kornet, on the championship ring he won with the Boston Celtics in 2024: “I am not 100% sure where I've got it. I think I know, but I don’t know. It's not something you wear consistently. It’s almost a liability. You find other things to do with it.”

Arena staff at the Frost Bank Center starting to get the Spurs’ Fiesta shirts in order for Game 1 of the NBA Finals tomorrow night.

Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns, on Victor Wembanyama: “Obviously he's a special talent, and the NBA is blessed to have him and for him to be able to showcase his talent to the world. For us, we just have to have discipline in our game plan and execute at a high level.”

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, on Stephon Castle: “I think his intensity and tenacity is special. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. … The way he's played over these first couple years of his career, he's going to be a great player, great defender. He's tough.”

Knicks coach Mike Brown, on Gregg Popovich’s influence from his time as a Spurs assistant: “There's a ton on the court. There's a ton off the court. … The biggest thing is just to stay the course, keep trying to grow and keep trying to learn.”

Keldon Johnson, on his changing role through the years: “There's a point where you look in the mirror and you want to be a part of something special, or you want to chase personal goals. … Winning has been an ultimate reward. It just shows that everything was worth it.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama: “Falling in love with basketball happened really early on in my life. I mean, I have pictures of myself with a basketball at an age where I was not even old enough to have memories. … I guess all kids love trophies and medals.”

Wagner High product Jordan Clarkson on the court getting some shots up with his New York Knicks teammates during the open portion of practice at NBA Finals media day.

The New York Knicks’ Jeremy Sochan back in familiar territory at the Frost Bank Center during the open period of practice at NBA Finals media day.

Victor Wembanyama, Keldon Johnson, Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant among the group on the court for the open portion of Spurs practice at NBA Finals media day.

De’Aaron Fox, on Wemby's emotion: “The people who would make fun of him haven’t done that and probably won’t do this. I think it’s great that he shows that emotion, because he wants to win that bad. He’s dragging us along, but we’re trying to push him to that mountaintop.”

De’Aaron Fox: “Coming here my first full year, being able to be in the finals, I don’t know if I thought that, but I knew we were going to have a damn good team. ... By the time we got to the all-star break, I was like, ‘It could be real. We definitely have a chance this year.’”

Julian Champagnie: "That’s something I've been working on for a long time, now, trying to stay even keel. I’ve had my ups and downs with it, but I feel like this year my teammates really did pull me together and tell me, ‘We need you.’ Never get too high, never get too low.”

Spurs center Luke Kornet, on the reaction to his game-changing chase-down block: “Someone from the bench yelled, ‘Who is it? LeBron James?’ We’ll see which one has more staying power in the record books of history.”

Victor Wembanyama, on his emotions at the buzzer after Game 7: “Really, you work, all of these hours you put in, is for these type of emotions. I want to win so bad, it’s like my life depends on it.”

Victor Wembanyama, on advancing to the NBA Finals: “Winning the Larry O’Brien is a childhood dream, and having a real shot at it, having a tangible chance at winning it, at realizing a dream, it’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it’s going to happen again.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on Game 7: “It was a complete team effort. We had huge, huge moments. Keldon Johnson made two monster 3s. ... It’s been the same thing all year. It's different people’s nights in different moments, at different times, and they’ve all embraced that.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on San Antonio’s perceived lack of experience: “This team has now been pretty damn consistent for a long time, for over 100 games, for the most part. ... I don’t know who has as much experience as we do this year in the season of 2025-26.”

De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell leaving the court to begin the celebration after advancing to the NBA Finals.

Birthday boy Harrison Barnes enjoying the moment after the Spurs win Game 7 against the Thunder.

The Spurs leave the floor and head through the tunnel toward the locker room after winning Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on the approach to Game 7: “We’re going to focus on the same things we’ve focused on all year that got us to this point. ... We’ve had a whole lot of experience this year, in this playoffs, seeing when that is done right, and when that is done wrong.”

Spurs guard Devin Vassell, on how he slept the night before Game 7 at OKC: “I was tossing and turning for a little bit, for sure. … I know they’re going to be playing music out there at that park trying to keep us up, so I was trying to get as much sleep as possible.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on Victor Wembanyama: “I think that’s maybe his biggest growth this year. Not waiting for it to be perfect or necessarily to know what to do all the time, but attack the moment, have the right approach, and live with the results.”

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, on Dylan Harper: “When he plays with confidence, I don’t think there’s anybody his age that’s that good. He's been a big part of our team all year. We need him. When he plays like that, we’re pretty hard to beat.”

Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, on heading back to Oklahoma City for Game 7: "What other way would you like it? ... It’s a great opportunity for us to have, and I think a lot of guys are ready to step into that opportunity.”

Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, on the Game 6 defense: “When you look at Game 2 and Game 5, I don’t think we started the game with the right approach. I think we found it as the game went on. But from start to finish tonight, I thought we had the right approach.”

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie, on Victor Wembanyama’s Game 6: “He was hitting first, he was being physical. I think he just showed his dominance, the whole night.”

Victor Wembanyama, on playing desperate: “It just feels like it erases all of the little mistakes that we do that are human nature, whether it’s in the regular season or previous games. We just have to fight that, when your back is against the wall, it feels like it’s the best opportunity.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, on meeting the moment in Game 6: “I think we were consistent and did what we needed to do. Trusted the game, trusted the basketball Gods.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on hot starts in the series: “When you play a team of this caliber, and play to the level that they do for 48 minutes, at times it’s even trying to maybe minimize the peaks and the valleys, and just try to find a smaller margin of consistency.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on his message before Game 6: “There’s no Lombardi speech coming, or magic line. We’re going to go out there and try to play our standard of basketball with the proper approach, and try to execute through all of the things we’re going to be seeing in that moment.”

Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, on regrouping for Game 6: “We have to be willing to fight back. Lose today, then lose in two days, and your season is over. We don’t want that to happen. ... You just want to come in and try to be the desperate team. That's pretty much it.”

Spurs forward Keldon Johnson, on a do-or-die Game 6: “Sink or swim. You have your back against the wall, and you have to win by any means. Don't really try to deviate or do anything different. Just triple down on what we do or what we’re good at, and I think we’ll be in great shape.”

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, on regrouping for Game 6: “I don’t think it will be difficult. ... Stick to our process and continue to trust that. That’s what’s gotten us this far, and I think that’s what’s going to carry us back here.”

Spurs’ Stephon Castle, on OKC’s efforts to limit Victor Wembanyama: “I think they send so many bodies toward him, it’s hard, at times. I think he just wants to make the right play and wants to win, so it’s tough. But he’s our best player, so yeah, we need him to be aggressive.”

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie, on a Game 5 loss to the Thunder: “I thought they wanted the game more than we did. We were a step late to a lot of stuff tonight.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on OKC getting to the free-throw line: “In the second quarter for sure we had some times where, fouls or not, we need to be more aware of when we’re in the bonus."

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on the defense in Game 5: “It just felt like it was a little bit of everything. ... To beat a team of this caliber in their building with the stakes, we’ll need to be a lot better to give yourself a chance.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on becoming a better coach: “You just play a lot of hypotheticals and throw a lot of things against the wall and argue with your staff, just for the sake of arguing and making each other think a little bit more.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on Devin Vassell’s growth: “It's been pretty cool to see from my perspective, just in terms of him getting back to being such an impact defender while also maintaining his offensive impact and influencing winning in so many ways.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on Stephon Castle missing out on All-Defensive recognition: “Not just this series but what he’s done all year and all playoffs, he’s an all-NBA defender, and I think he’ll be pretty motivated to continue to prove it until he gets on that team next year.”

Spurs' Keldon Johnson ahead of Game 5: "This is the biggest game of the season, right here tonight. ... It's going to be a dog fight. It's going to be tough. But I feel like we’re built for the moment, we’re built for these times, and I feel like we’ll show it tonight.”

Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, on the defense in Game 4: “We contested 91% of shots today. That’s just a recipe to win the game. ... We're just trying to make it as difficult as possible for them to score, especially in the half court, and I think we did a good job of that tonight.”

Spurs guard Devin Vassell, on Game 4: “We knew we had to respond, and that’s how you respond. You get stops. You don’t try to focus on the offensive end. You get stops, you get out in transition, you guard your yard, and that’s what we did.”

Spurs guard Devin Vassell, on Stephon Castle: “Best perimeter defender in the league, and he holds himself to that standard. He buys in all the time. He’s ultra physical. He knows how to slide his feet. Has quick hands, and is just a pest the whole game."

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on Victor Wembanyama’s effort in Game 4: “I saw a lot, and I'm not in surprise. … I think tonight he felt an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways, and I think just the aggressiveness was a reflection of that.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on Devin Vassell: “He’s been phenomenal. He may be our most consistent player if you took away any stats and just watched us play. … He’s developed into a heck of a scorer in this league.”

Spurs guard Dylan Harper, on bouncing back in Game 4: “Just not overcomplicating it. I think that was the biggest thing. Come out with that fire we had all year. It was more of how we respond, how we bounce back to what took place two days ago. I think we did that well.”

Spurs’ Harrison Barnes: “I think the biggest thing for us is honestly just the details. Can we do the little things? Can we start off by being connected defensively, communicating, rebounding. If we do all of those things, it puts us in a position to run and be at our best.”

Spurs’ Stephon Castle, on Game 4 being stopped to clean blood off the floor: “No, that’s not surprising. I would’ve expected it sooner, honestly. I just think that’s the kind of series it’s been. We knew it was going to be a tough series, but I think that’s what makes it fun.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, on his halfcourt shot to beat the second-quarter buzzer that went a lot better than most of his heaves in warmups: “I was just thinking shoot to score. I wasn’t messing around at halftime.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama on a Game 4 win: “It was our first deficit in a playoff series, and we just responded. It was nothing amazing. It wasn't magic. We just did what we needed to do. The series is far from over. We’ve got six more wins before we can rest.”

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, on Mitch Johnson: “I’ve always respected his character, his professionalism. … Obviously he’s a head coach that’s in a very high-profile situation because of the early success of the team, and he handles it with class, and grace, and competence.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on a young team entering a pressure situation for Game 4: “I don’t think we’ll play any harder if I say it out loud to them. I think we know tonight is a big game, just like the last three, and we need to handle our business, especially at home.”

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, on how San Antonio can better handle the minutes Victor Wembanyama sits: “Just play better. As a team, we didn’t really play that well. They made a lot of shots. A lot of them that we wanted them to shoot.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on Game 3: “We got off to a fast start, and they settled into the game and really worked the game, and we could feel that throughout. I think we have to make sure we are able to play in the moment in the same way as they did throughout the game."

Spurs guard Devin Vassell, on stepping in after Ajay Mitchell’s hard foul against Stephon Castle: “Two times in a row he’s about to go up for a dunk, and it just looked like he pushed him. That could be a dangerous play. So I just wanted to have my teammate’s back.”

Spurs guard Devin Vassell after Game 3: “It’s the playoffs. It's a lot of stuff that, physicality, grabbing, holding, all of that just builds up. So it’s a lot of, I guess, a little bit of animosity building up. And I’m cool with that.”

Spurs guard Devin Vassell, on the offense needing to play faster: “I think they limited our transition a lot. The people who come off the bench, they thrive in transition. So, us getting out in transition and playing faster, I think it’ll be a huge advantage for us.”

Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, on playing through injury: “It’s definitely tough. I feel like it’s a play that could’ve been avoidable, but it is what it is. ... Obviously it’s disappointing not being able to be 100%, but I'm able to be out there, so that’s all that matters to me.”

Spurs guard Dylan Harper, on playing through injury: “I always knew I had a chance to play. It was more just going through warmups and how I’m feeling. And I felt good. But I think coming out of it, obviously the ultimate goal is to win the game, and we didn’t do that. But just learn from it.”

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie, on answering OKC’s physicality: “I think that’s the biggest part, being the first to hit. Not getting hit and then responding. I’m not going to say we did terrible. I think we did OK. I just think as a team, we know we can do better.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama on the disparity in bench scoring in Game 3: “I feel like each and every one of us has to be better. As a team, as an organization, there’s a lot of new experiences, and we just have to find the answers.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama on the Thunder’s physical play: “There’s no place for frustration. It’s annoying, of course, but we have to use that as energy.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama: “I feel like I’m having trouble making my teammates better right now. That’s what I should do better. … I need to be more of a team player.”

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama after a Game 3 loss: “It’s my first playoffs. It’s the first playoffs for many of us. Of course, there was going to be hard trials. It’s to be expected. But now, we’re going to see what we’re made of.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on SGA’s free-throws: “Probably half of them were undisciplined, first off the floor. He got us out of position and took advantage of it. ... I can remember at least a few of them right now that were undisciplined on our end.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper: “I haven’t asked how they’re doing. I'm sure they’re beat up. They're giving us everything they’ve got. It's commendable, the fight that they have.”

Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox warming up on the court before Game 3 against Oklahoma City. Fox is noticeably more active than he was before missing Game 2. He's listed as questionable on the injury report and is considered a game-time decision due to a right ankle sprain.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, on the status of De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper for Game 3: “They’re going through their routines right now. I’ll get the word pretty soon here. But yeah, it’s close.”

Dylan Harper on the court warming up before Game 3 between the Spurs and Thunder tonight at the Frost Bank Center. Harper is listed as questionable on the injury report due to right adductor soreness.

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie on the viral Carter Bryant bathroom clip: “He had to go to the bathroom, I don’t know what else he was supposed to do. He went to the quickest one. ... If anything, we should stop recording people in the bathroom.”

Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox doing some light work at shootaround ahead of tonight's Game 3 against Oklahoma CIty. Fox will be a game-time decision because of a right ankle sprain that forced him to sit out the first two games of the series.

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie on Oklahoma City’s physicality: “I don’t think they’re going to stop doing what they’re doing. ... I feel like if anything, that’s the playoffs, you get away with more. We have to understand this is the playoffs, and we’re allowed to do more.”

Spurs guard Stephon Castle, on his turnover issues: “The biggest thing is just playing off two feet, not getting sped up. Obviously, I didn’t do a great job of that, but yeah, just trying to keep my teammates involved. Trying not to do too much on the offensive end.”

Stephon Castle, on playing without key pieces due to injuries: “It’s tough. Regardless, I think the five guys on the court are pretty much connected at all times. ... Just to see somebody go out midgame gives you a little more motivation to do it for them.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, regarding the pressure on a shorthanded backcourt: “A ton. ... When you’re down some of your primary creators and initiators, it causes a little bit of an extra strain. ... We’ll just have to be sharper in that area.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on Stephon Castle’s turnovers: “We’ve addressed it and we’ll continue to just in terms of trying to help him with some of his reads, especially when he’s tired. ... He had too many turnovers, but our whole team did.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on De’Aaron Fox’s injury: “Honestly, he’s just trying to play every day. It's a tough injury that he wouldn’t have been playing with in the regular season, so he’s trying to tough it out.”

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie, on handling the Game 1 atmosphere: “That was all of our first time being here. So for us to go out there and have that kind of game and win, it’s something we’ll hold and we’ll take with us. But that was last night, and today is a new day.”

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie on Game 1 in OKC: “I was trying to talk on defense, and I couldn’t hear myself. At some point it comes down to team chemistry and all of us knowing and being on the same page what the game plan is, and executing. That was pure instinct last night.”

Spurs forward Carter Bryant, on guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “Make his life as difficult as possible. He's a hell of a player. He’s not the MVP for no reason. Just understanding he’s a really, very, very, very good player. I’m just trying to make his life difficult.”

Spurs forward Carter Bryant, on Victor Wembanyama’s deep 3 in overtime: “I can’t believe he shot it, and I can’t believe that went in. He let it go out of his hands and I was like, ‘Oh, he shot that. Oh, it went in. OK, cool.’ It was pretty dope.”

Spurs guard Dylan Harper, on Victor Wembanyama’s deep 3 in overtime: "Confidence through the roof. I was stunned, a little bit. But once the ball went up, I was like, oh, that’s going in. That's kind of just who he is. He’s one of a kind.”

Spurs guard Dylan Harper, on if he realized he was taking part in a classic game: “Nah, I’m just trying to win. That's the biggest thing on my mind. ... We all went in there with the mindset of if it takes two overtimes, let’s double down and win.”

Victor Wembanyama, on his deep 3-pointer in overtime: “For that one, I was just thinking, take my time. But for the rest, there were some plays I wish I would’ve taken more. I think it was the regulation last shot. I had an open look against a way smaller defender. I should’ve just taken it.”