The San Antonio Spurs walked off their home floor disappointed after a 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals, but rookie guard Dylan Harper made it clear that panic is not part of the team’s mindset.
Harper, who scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench, spoke confidently about San Antonio’s response after New York erased a 14-point second-half deficit and closed the game on an 11-0 run.
“We’re going to be better. We’re going to bounce back and we just got to keep staying positive,” Harper said after the loss.
The Spurs struggled to contain Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who finished with 30 points and scored 13 in the fourth quarter. Asked what makes Brunson different from other guards San Antonio has faced during the postseason, Harper praised the Knicks’ leader.
“Jalen’s a great guard, all-star guard,” Harper said. “He’s going to get to his spots regardless.”
Harper pointed to Brunson’s ability to create advantages through footwork and angles.
“Just kind of how he picks his angles and just gets to his spots,” Harper said. “He probably does it beyond the best.”
Despite Brunson’s success, Harper believes the Spurs can make adjustments before Game 2.
“For us, kind of just doubling down on our game plan and what we just always stuck to, which is defense,” Harper said. “We’ll be better next game.”
The defeat also cost San Antonio home-court advantage in the series, but Harper drew on the Spurs’ recent experience against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
“Obviously we won the first game against OKC, but they win the next two,” Harper said. “So I mean that really didn’t matter.”
Instead of focusing on the series score, Harper emphasized consistency.
“I think for us it’s just more about playing the long game and just kind of being consistent in our habits,” he said. “I feel like if we just stay consistent, then everything’s going to work out.”
San Antonio entered the Finals only four days after finishing a seven-game conference finals series against Oklahoma City, while New York had been resting since completing a sweep of Cleveland. Harper, however, did not view fatigue as the deciding factor.
“I feel like both teams were fatigued really,” he said. “I feel like they kind of just executed a little better.”
Harper believed execution, rather than energy, determined the outcome.
“I feel like we didn’t hold ourselves to the highest standard and I feel like we let a lot of those slip away from us,” he said.
The rookie also addressed his own performance. After scoring efficiently throughout the game, Harper said the Knicks did not significantly alter their defensive approach against him.
“No, I mean it was pretty much the same,” Harper said. “I think for me I just got to keep staying aggressive. I got to keep my foot on the gas.”
Harper echoed Victor Wembanyama’s confidence when asked about the team’s outlook entering Game 2.
“We’re also confident, but we also have a chip on our shoulder from this game we just lost,” Harper said. “I think we’re going to be even hungrier and just ready to keep proving.”
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Friday night in San Antonio, where the Spurs will attempt to even the series before it shifts to New York.
