The San Antonio Spurs have found themselves with their backs up against the wall heading into Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals. After suffering a crushing 105-104 defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks in Game 2, a loss in Game 3 would effectively put this series to bed.
This isn’t the first time the Spurs have found themselves in a tough spot this postseason, and when they have needed words of wisdom, they have often turned to their former head coach, Gregg Popovich. Sure enough, according to Stephon Castle, Popovich sent San Antonio a strong message before it hit the road for Games 3 and 4 in New York.
Gregg Popovich to the Spurs — ‘Let the Last Two Games Go’
Stephon Castle on his message: “Let the last two games go. It happened. They were very winnable games, we felt like we gave them those games. Let them go.”
The 2026 NBA Playoffs have essentially been a coming-of-age story for the Spurs, as they have proven themselves to be a championship contender in real time. Overcoming the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals was widely believed to be the biggest challenge the team would have to overcome, but the Knicks have proven that they mean business.
New York’s path to victory has been a unique one, as it has focused on limiting Victor Wembanyama’s supporting cast, rather than slowing him down. The results have been tough to ignore, as key contributors like Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Devin Vassell have largely been quiet for the first two games of this series.
And yet, even with that being said, San Antonio still could have very easily won one or both of these games. Popovich knows that the story in the media is that the Spurs are attempting to climb out of a deficit that no team has ever managed to do in the NBA Finals, but according to Castle, he urged the team to focus solely on doing whatever it can to win a pair of games in New York.
“Let the last two games go,” Popovich said, according to Castle. “It happened. They were very winnable games, and we felt like we gave them those games, but we gotta let those go and focus on the next one.”
Spurs Know the Stakes Heading Into Game 3
GettyStephon Castle is still confident in the Spurs, even in the wake of their Game 2 loss to the Knicks
There are silver linings from the Spurs’ losses in Games 1 and 2, even though it is tough to settle for that at this stage of the season. Wembanyama has looked like himself for the most part, and the team did a great job of making Jalen Brunson’s life difficult in Game 2. If it can put everything together at once, San Antonio can make this a series.
None of that will matter if they lose Game 3, though. No team has ever managed to rally from a 0-3 deficit in any series in NBA history, let alone the Finals. Winning at Madison Square Garden is going to be difficult, but this is a Spurs team that just sent the Thunder into the offseason on their own court in Game 7 not too long ago. All eyes will be on Game 3, because this very well could determine how the rest of this series unfolds.
Stephon Castle Reveals Gregg Popovich’s Message to Spurs After Game 2 Loss