Mitch Johnson reveals message to Spurs after choking away NBA Finals

This will hurt for a while for Mitch Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite holding big leads over the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, the Spurs ended up suffering a 94-90 loss to Jalen Brunson and company on Saturday to clinch the NBA crown.

One can only imagine what Johnson and the Spurs are going through, but the San Antonio head coach tried to put things into perspective, despite how painful the series loss is.

“I want them to feel all the emotions. I feel that too,” Johnson said after the game, via Tom Petrini of San Antonio Spurs On SI.

“So, whatever they feel, that’s real. That’s competitiveness. That’s what makes you better. That’s what pushes you to continue to improve in the dark, long hours when nobody’s around, and we improved a whole lot this year, and we still have a lot now, more motivation to continue to get better.”

The Spurs were already behind the eight-ball early in the series, as they lost the first two games despite both games taking place at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

They punched back in Game 3 with a win at Madison Square Garden in New York, but that turned out to be the only victory Johnson would lead San Antonio in the entire Finals series.

It may be difficult to assess the NBA Finals from the Spurs’ perspective without assigning blame to Johnson, especially given the brutal collapses the team had in Games 4 and 5.

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