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Stephon Castle and the San Antonio Spurs addressed the media Thursday after losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n
The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will speak to the media from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio later today, as players and coaches share their thoughts with the public ahead of Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals, scheduled to be broadcast Friday at 8:30 ET on ABC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Enjoy the best quotes and moments from this Media Day with the NBA.com live blog!<\/p>\n What we know about Thursday\u2019s Media Day:<\/p>\n The Knicks won Game 1 105-95<\/a> last night, as Jalen Brunson (30 pts) scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to lift New York to a late victory. JUNE 4, 2026 \/ 2:38 ET<\/p>\n Coach Mike Brown speaks<\/p>\n On Josh Hart\u2019s performance\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cHe was huge. He helped us with our pace. We want to play fast, everybody knows it, it\u2019s hard to score as you go along in the Playoffs, so you try to get the ball up the floor as quickly as possible to attack a defense that\u2019s not set. Josh was phenomenal in helping us do that. He guarded a lot of different guys\u2026 and then, he rebounded the basketball. He was great. He was great on the weak side defensively. He impacted the game in so many ways for us. When you look at what he shot from the field, you wouldn\u2019t think that he was probably the most impactful guy on the game last night.\u201d<\/p>\n On Jose Alvarado\u2019s lift in 11 minutes\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Jalen went out of the game, he came in and he stabilized us, because we were floundering a little bit. He got us into our offense; he was really, really good defensively. He\u2019s always into the game; he\u2019s always present. For him to be able to come in and hold down the fort the way that he did was much needed.\u201d<\/p>\n On reflecting on this point in his career before Game 1\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not really. Just had my game-day routine.\u201d<\/p>\n On Karl-Anthony Towns\u2019 defensive focus and effort\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cKAT\u2019s been really present with everything that we\u2019re doing. When you\u2019re present, you give yourself a chance to lock into the small details that are in front of you. Last night, he was really good in transition defensively, probably one of the best he\u2019s been all season. The coverages, he was really good. Wemby \u2014 man, iconic player, you\u2019re not going to stop him, you have to hope he misses\u2026 but KAT himself did a pretty decent job of trying to lead with his chest while being physical. I think it\u2019s all due to him wanting do whatever he can to help the team while being present.\u201d<\/p>\n On the Spurs\u2019 quality of 3-point looks\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe always want to try to get a little bit better with what we\u2019re doing\u2026 But at the end of the day, this team will kill you if you allow their guards, as big and athletic and long, quick, as they are, to get in the paint and finish. If I had to pick my druthers, I\u2019d take a late contested three by their guards, just because they\u2019re so good when they hit the paint. Now, they can beat you from the 3-point line \u2014 we saw it in the Oklahoma City series \u2014 so we\u2019re going to have to try to be better at it, but at the end of the day, I know we can\u2019t allow them to live in the paint against us, because they\u2019re destroy us if they do.\u201d<\/p>\n On bringing out KAT\u2019s defensive ability\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI had to challenge everybody, not just him\u2026 KAT\u2019s smart, he has a good feel. He has better feet than what you think, and he\u2019s long and he\u2019s strong. Those combinations bode well for a guy defensively. It\u2019s just about embracing it and staying present, while understanding what the small details of your job should be.\u201d<\/p>\n On encouraging Brunson hunting switches\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe talk about all that stuff. I\u2019ve talked about a staff a ton. It starts with those guys \u2014 our advance scouts do a great job, then it gets to our assistants, and Chris Jent and T.J. Saint are good with our analytics guys of figuring out if we want to attack a matchup in this situation or that situation, and then it\u2019s a collective effort\u2026 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s different than anyone else does. Anyone else wants to quote, unquote \u2018target Jalen\u2019 or \u2018target KAT in the pick-and-roll,\u2019 so we have to understand that process going in.\u201d<\/p>\n On the effect of Knicks fans traveling\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIn these games, especially against good teams on the road, you want to find places you can find energy, or a little boost of energy, at any given time. To have the type of fans that we do, that not only bring the energy in the City of New York, on the streets or at MSG, but to have them come take over a town, take over a hotel, take over an arena, and hear them chant \u2018let\u2019s go Knicks\u2019 or Jalen shooting a free throw, \u2018MVP,\u2019 that gives you a boost knowing you have some people supporting you at a pretty high level.\u201d<\/p>\n JUNE 4, 2026 \/ 2:18 ET<\/p>\n Stephon Castle speaks<\/p>\n On the team\u2019s shot quality in the halfcourt\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying in transition, trying to play fast, is probably the easiest way we create shots. In the halfcourt, when we got to our plays, we saw a similar look for the most part, and created the same shot over-and-over. Not getting bored with making the right read over-and-over again is something we have to do for the next game, but it comes down to making shots too.\u201d<\/p>\n On the differences between guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re very similar in ways \u2014 obviously, Jalen is left-handed, Shai is right-handed. Shai, he\u2019s more of a threat to get all the way downhill, all the way to the basket. Jalen, he likes to use angles a lot more, uses pump-fakes a little more than Shai. Most of his is angles, trying to get to his spots, and not trying to draw fouls as much, but get to his midrange and get to his spots that he likes. So, just trying to keep him from doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n On the Spurs\u2019 offense in Game 1 and whether the stage impacted them\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt could have been that. For the most part, we didn\u2019t make the extra pass as much as we usually do, we settled more than we usually do. Coach preaches a lot \u2014 try to find better every possession, try to find the best shot, and we got satisfied with a decent look, knowing we can make those kind of shots, a lot more than we usually do. I think it cost us, but even playing like that, not playing the way we usually do, we still had a chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n On potentially pressing in Game 1 and getting away from themselves\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had to think of one thing, it\u2019s most of our first time being in the Finals, so obviously a big moment for a lot of us. We\u2019re overly-excited to get out there and play, so that could be a part of it. But yeah, we\u2019ve been down in series before. I think Coach Mitch said it best \u2014 really all Playoffs, it\u2019s taken us more than a half to get settled into a game. So, just trying to be ourselves\u2026 We feel like we\u2019re the better team.\u201d<\/p>\n On attacking Josh Hart offensively\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s very physical. He really doesn\u2019t want to switch too much, so he\u2019ll blow up screens a lot. I think it\u2019s similar to the way I play defense \u2014 just constant pressure, very physical, but does it calculated and smart, and tries to do it without fouling. He\u2019s a good defender, regardless of who he\u2019s guarding, but we\u2019ve seen good defenders all Playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n On whether he was displeased by Knicks fans celebrating\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah. I don\u2019t want any fans from any team to have a good night in our arena\u2026 They were loud, but I think our fans showed out as well, and I just don\u2019t we executed on winning the game, so they had the right to celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n On Brunson finding switches in the fourth quarter\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, yes, I want to stay on the ball and defend my matchup, but at the end of the day, I have nothing but confidence in my teammates on that side of the floor, and I don\u2019t want to make up things on the spot\u2026 I don\u2019t want to make it about me and him; it\u2019s more of what our team defense needs.\u201d<\/p>\n On whether his and Wemby\u2019s youth leads to a lack of fear\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt may be more of what our character is like. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll ever change from being this way, and having this kind of confidence in each other\u2026 Using that to our advantage, in any situation. I think we have nothing but confidence in this team, this staff, this organization, so we\u2019re just going to take it game-by-game and walk this thing down.\u201d<\/p>\n JUNE 4, 2026 \/ 2:08 ET<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama speaks<\/p>\n On the team\u2019s history of handling challenges\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very reassuring. We know we\u2019re not here by chance. We\u2019ve been through some weird situations \u2014 it\u2019s reassuring that these guys, the 18 guys we\u2019ve got, are built this way and are resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n On his calmness in the moment\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just speaking with my heart and reacting with my heart\u2026 An explanation would be, you get closer to qualification or elimination, so the tension level normally rises.\u201d<\/p>\n On getting a text from Gregg Popovich after Game 1\u2026<\/p>\n \u201c(In general), it was that I\u2019ve been bad and I\u2019m better than this.\u201d<\/p>\n On facing Karl-Anthony Towns\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI think the reason we lost that game isn\u2019t even technical, tactical. We need to approach the game with a better mental state, and we need to play our game. We just need to be normal; we don\u2019t have to do anything incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n On what \u2018\u201dnormal\u201d means for the Spurs\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cNormal means trusting each other, trusting the basketball gods, executing, and not relying on talent so much to save the day. We\u2019ve been playing the game a certain way all season, and there\u2019s no reason to change the day the Finals start.\u201d<\/p>\n On guarding smaller players and helping off a big\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, guarding smaller players, it\u2019s quickness of feat. And it\u2019s true that it\u2019s a little difficult, that I\u2019m still learning, but I\u2019ve learned a lot (on how) to change the mindset between guarding the rim and guarding a small. I really need to flip a switch.\u201d<\/p>\n On keeping his peace amongst the Finals\u2019 chaos\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing that\u2019s impacting my routine the most is that we\u2019re practicing at the arena, not the facility, so the driving time is a little longer.\u201d<\/p>\n JUNE 4, 2026 \/ 1:45 ET<\/p>\n Coach Mitch Johnson speaks<\/p>\n On the Spurs\u2019 prior experience being down in a series\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been consistent in that regard. I think one thing we\u2019ve learned in our three series is that series are long, games are long, things shift quickly \u2014 whether that\u2019s health, who\u2019s playing well or hot\u2026 Teams at this stage typically have shown the ability to evolve and improve on the fly\u2026 That\u2019s how you see these series go back-and-forth \u2014 these teams make great adjustments, and take advantage of those. In this moment right now, we\u2019re coming off a loss, and it\u2019s on us to get into that balancing act of change, tweak over here, and be better and sharper over there.\u201d<\/p>\n On getting Victor Wembanyama easy shots\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve played a couple teams that are very similar, committed to guarding the paint with bodies\u2026 I think we have to make sure we don\u2019t fight the game.\u201d<\/p>\n On considering putting Dylan Harper out to close Game 1\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThere was definitely consideration\u2026 That comes when you have a lot of good players, those decisions, so Dylan did not finish the game by anything he did or did not do\u2026 I understand that there would be logic in having Dylan in that group, but I thought that group that was out there did some things during that stretch, and that\u2019s who I rolled with.\u201d<\/p>\n On the Spurs\u2019 pace in the halfcourt\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI thought some of the threes felt rushed\u2026 That\u2019s just something we\u2019ll have to continue to give feedback to the guys ib, and improve as the series goes on. Maybe more of those needed to be plays towards the rim or paint\u2026 It\u2019s a very delicate ecosystem, where one thing leads to another, and the ripple effect can be rather grand when you pull back the layers\u2026 We have to continue to respect our style of play and our brand of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n On his confidence and adjusting for Game 2\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI think we gave ourselves a lot aspects of the game we have to improve\u2026 The second-chance points is clearly one of them. 16 assists is not a reflection of this program, ever since I\u2019ve been here or decades before I was, and we can be much sharper on just a lot of game plan execution stuff. You add that I think Victor will play better? Sure. A couple of guys will make more shots than they did? Agree.\u201d<\/p>\n On the team\u2019s youth and decisions under pressure\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked about it, discuss it. Old teams make bad decisions too\u2026 We\u2019ll walk it through on the court, rep it out, and trust our guys will continue to make good decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n On Towns guarding Wembanyama\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI thought our offense, in general, did not put people in the right situations and spots last night. New York had a lot to do with that\u2026 Towns, to your question, did a good job being physical\u2026 We didn\u2019t play with the pass enough, we didn\u2019t put enough pressure or force on the rim or the paint. It led to a lot of us making or missing shots, and playing with talent offensively instead of playing together and finding opportunities to take advantage of forcing defenses to make decisions\u2026 We have a lot of room for improvement on that going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n JUNE 4, 2026 \/ 11:45 ET<\/p>\n Alvarado on the atmosphere<\/p>\n “The best atmosphere in the world.”<\/p>\n Our Game 1 Player Correspondent Caleb Wilson caught up with Jose Alvarado after New York’s big win!<\/p>\n Knicks take a 1-0 series lead in the NBA Finals \ud83c\udfc6 pic.twitter.com\/ZZA9roosp4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n JUNE 4, 2026 \/ 11:30 ET<\/p>\n The Brunson burner was lit last night<\/p>\n Jalen Brunson\u2019s clutch performance is likely to be a hot topic during this afternoon\u2019s media session.<\/p>\n Brunson now has 144 clutch Playoff points since the 2023 postseason. No other player has more than 85.<\/p>\n Jalen Brunson delivered in Game 1!<\/p>\n 13 points in Q4. Knicks take a 1-0 series lead in the 2026 NBA Finals \ud83c\udfc6pic.twitter.com\/KlOo2pmA3f<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n JUNE 4, 2026 \/ 11:15 ET<\/p>\n Catch up on last night\u2019s highlights<\/p>\n
\nPlayers and coaches from the Knicks and Spurs will speak to the press beginning at 1:30 ET.<\/p>\n
30 for the game.<\/p>\n