The San Antonio Spurs were seven minutes away from a commanding 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals. Then the New York Knicks happened. Now, with their season on the line in Game 5, the Spurs’ longest-tenured player and emotional heartbeat insists the locker room hasn’t cracked.
Keldon Johnson, the seventh-year forward and reigning Sixth Man of the Year, addressed the media ahead of Friday’s do-or-die matchup at the Frost Bank Center. His message was blunt: the Game 4 collapse hurt, but it’s already in the rearview.
“Nah, I feel like we’re all locked in, we’re all motivated,” Johnson said when asked if he’d had to do extra work lifting teammates’ spirits. “It sucked in the moment, and it sucks to lose, especially on this type of stage.”
The Spurs led by 29 points with under 12 minutes to play in Game 4. By the final buzzer, they’d watched the Knicks complete one of the most stunning comebacks in Finals history. The loss dropped San Antonio into a 3-1 hole, a deficit only one team — the 2016 Golden State Warriors — has ever overcome to win the title.
Johnson, who averaged 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds during the regular season and helped the Spurs win 62 games, has seen his playoff production dip. What hasn’t dipped is his volume. The former first-round pick has made a name for himself with sideline screams and locker-room roars, and this postseason has given him plenty to yell about.
“We get another chance at it, and we get to stack days and, really, we get another crack at it to be able to go out there and perform,” Johnson said. “So, we’re just putting the game ahead. That’s our main priority right now. We’re locked in, ready to go.”
History? Johnson Isn’t Interested
When asked whether matching the 2016 Warriors’ comeback from 3-1 down mattered to this group, Johnson didn’t mince words.
“What matters to me is my teammates around me, my coaches, and our organization,” he said. “Long as we win, that’s the main priority. As far as history, we don’t really pay attention to that. We just pay attention to getting the job done (in Game 5).”
According to ticket sales data cited by multiple reports, a significant number of Knicks fans are expected to fill the Frost Bank Center for a game that could crown New York’s first NBA champion since 1973. Johnson isn’t worried about the crowd makeup.
“The energy’s great,” he said. “I feel like the San Antonio community is one of a kind, and the support hasn’t wavered for us. I feel like it just breeds into the locker room.”
Whether that belief translates into a series extension — or a quick exit — will be decided Friday night. But Johnson made one thing clear: this team hasn’t stopped believing.
“We believe that we can get the job done. That hasn’t changed or wavered at all.”
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