The San Antonio Spurs were 29 points away from tying the 2026 NBA Finals. They were 12 minutes from stealing home-court advantage and shifting the entire narrative of the series. Instead, they walked off the Madison Square Garden floor with a 107-106 loss that will haunt the franchise for decades — and, according to multiple sources close to the situation, could cost head coach Mitch Johnson his job.
What happened in Game 4 wasn’t just a loss. It was a collapse so staggering that league insiders are reportedly buzzing about whether Johnson has lost the locker room. After shooting a Finals-record 14 three-pointers in the first half and taking a 76-49 lead into intermission, the Spurs’ offense completely evaporated. New York, led by Jalen Brunson’s 36 points and a playoff-career-high 33 from OG Anunoby, outscored San Antonio 58-30 in the second half. The decisive blow came with 1.2 seconds left, when Anunoby followed a missed Brunson jumper and tipped the ball in for the win.
Fans erupted on social media, with one viral post calling for Johnson’s firing before Game 5. The criticism, however, goes deeper than a single possession. Sources say Johnson’s timeout management down the stretch was baffling — he reportedly let the Knicks cut the lead to single digits without stopping the bleeding, and his decision to have a rookie inbound the ball on the final possession has been widely panned. “You cannot have a rookie making that pass in that moment,” one league executive told us. “That’s basic coaching 101.”
It’s a stunning fall for a coach who just completed a 62-win regular season and earned All-Star Game coaching honors in his first full year as Gregg Popovich’s successor. Johnson took over permanently in 2025 and led San Antonio to its first Finals appearance since 2014. But the NBA is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, and Game 4’s collapse has reportedly created real tension inside the organization. While no official decision has been made, insiders claim that ownership is weighing whether Johnson can handle the pressure of a championship run.
The Spurs now trail the series 3-1. One more loss, and their season ends in infamy. If Johnson can’t rally his team in Game 5, sources say, the search for a new head coach could begin before the champagne is even swept off the locker room floor.
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