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<\/p>\nAll one-sided numbers, and that\u2019s how the game got away.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s do-or-die, I think, out there,\u201d said Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, who led San Antonio with 21 points off the bench. \u201cYou\u2019ve seen the level of intensity rise up for us, and them. Obviously, they came out with the win. But for us, it\u2019s not taking anything for granted; I think that\u2019s the biggest thing. When we all go out there, we all know that we\u2019ve got to play 110% in order to win things like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Knicks wound up splitting about $5 million in additional bonus money, pushing their total to $530,933 per player for winning the Cup. The Spurs had to settle \u2014 such as it is \u2014 for $212,373 each.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m assuming that we\u2019re feeling pretty frustrated because we lost the game,\u201d Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. \u201cI\u2019m also feeling after 25 games in, I believe, that we\u2019ve shown some signs that we can be a pretty good team. And we\u2019ve also shown that we have a lot of areas of improvement. And I think that\u2019s where we\u2019re living today and hopefully tomorrow. We can continue to get a little bit better and minimize some of the things that we need to improve on.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Spurs are 18-7; Tuesday\u2019s loss doesn\u2019t factor into the record for this season. They\u2019ve had four of their key players \u2014 Wembanyama, Harper, De\u2019Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle \u2014 together for exactly two games, those being the Cup semifinal win over Oklahoma City on Saturday and the Cup final loss to the Knicks. The only teams in the Western Conference with better records than the Spurs right now are the Thunder and Denver.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot to like, even on a night that didn\u2019t go San Antonio\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
Wembanyama was emotional afterward, for reasons that had nothing to do with the outcome. He revealed following the game that he was struggling with news that someone close to him died earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
When asked about the game, he indicated it would be a learning experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the best practice for important games,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cOf course. Our focus is already on the playoffs. Playoffs are going to be the biggest time of the year, so I guess it\u2019s good that we got this experience today.\u201d<\/p>\n
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