The San Antonio Spurs may find themselves trailing 3-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals, but NBA legend Magic Johnson believes there is no reason for panic.
Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Johnson expressed confidence that the young Spurs still have plenty of fight left in them after suffering a heartbreaking 107-106 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4.
“In NBA Finals history, one thing about the Spurs, they’re young, and I think they’re going to be okay. I think this series is going back to New York for Game 6. Listen, it wasn’t that they played bad. We have to understand that this team played great. They just gave the game away, and the Knicks took it.”
“So all you have to do is play like you did and not make the mistakes that you made, and you’re going to be okay. This team has played four great games. It’s just that the Knicks have a 3-1 lead because they executed in winning time. The Knicks have executed better than the Spurs. So if I’m the Spurs, I’m feeling good. Yeah, I lost, but I’m going home.”
“We correct some mistakes that we made, and we can win and make it a 3-2 series and come back to New York. They should be down about the fact that they didn’t execute in the fourth quarter.”
“And Coach Johnson made a huge mistake. When you’re up 20 at the end of the third quarter, he should have taken Victor out and said, ‘You get this timeout.’ Like Pat Riley used to tell me, ‘You’re going to get this timeout, and you’ll get another three or four minutes. Then I’ll put you back in to end the fourth quarter and the game.’ He should have taken Victor out because they had a big lead.”
“You can rest him and bring him back in. Because he played so many minutes, he couldn’t take over the game.”
“And I think that’s why Mike Brown has been excellent for this team. He has not worn out Brunson. Brunson was able to finish the game, and it was just beautiful basketball. That shot will be remembered. But people better remember the block he made first. Because that block was a game-saving block as well. The point guard should have pulled it back out. De’Aaron Fox should have pulled it back.”
Johnson’s comments are backed up by just how close this series has been despite the Knicks holding a commanding lead.
Through four games, New York has outscored San Antonio by only seven total points, 428-421. That works out to less than two points per game, showing how razor-thin the margin has been between the two teams.
The Knicks won Game 1 by 10 points, 105-95. Game 2 came down to a single point, with New York escaping 105-104. The Spurs responded with a 115-111 victory in Game 3 before suffering one of the most painful losses in franchise history in Game 4.
San Antonio led by 29 points during the third quarter and appeared headed toward tying the series. Instead, the Knicks produced one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history, capped by OG Anunoby’s game-winning tip-in and crucial late-game block.
Instead of getting valuable rest in the third quarter, Victor Wembanyama ended up logging in 44 minutes. While the superstar still finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks, he shot just 9-for-25 from the field and 2-for-8 from three-point range as the Spurs struggled to close the game.
Even with the loss, Wembanyama has been outstanding throughout the Finals. The 22-year-old is averaging 27.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game while carrying the Spurs on both ends of the floor.
More importantly, history suggests the series is not over.
The 2026 playoffs have already featured two successful 3-1 comebacks. The Detroit Pistons rallied from a 3-1 deficit against the Orlando Magic, while the Philadelphia 76ers erased a 3-1 hole against the Boston Celtics.
NBA Finals history also offers a blueprint. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers famously came back from 3-1 down against the Golden State Warriors in 2016. In some ways, San Antonio’s path is less difficult. If the Spurs defend home court in Game 5, they would need only one road victory in New York before returning to San Antonio for a potential Game 7.
With Wembanyama playing at a superstar level and every game coming down to a handful of possessions, Johnson believes the Spurs still have every reason to believe. For now, the challenge is simple: win Game 5 and keep the season alive.
