SAN ANTONIO — Stephon Castle Channels Harden

On Thursday, Stephon Castle seemed to echo some words we’ve heard from James Harden in the past. Sure, the Knicks took Game 1 of the NBA Finals, even though they weren’t at their peak. But Castle, the young guard for the Spurs, believes in his squad just as much.

“I think we don’t need to stress too much. We feel like we’re the superior team,” Castle stated. “Even if we didn’t play our best, we were still in it until the end.”

This comment brings to mind Harden’s attitude when he mentioned that he believed the Cavaliers were a better team after being swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yet, this is just one game. Just one.

Despite holding a 14-point lead at home during the third quarter, the Spurs saw the Knicks come back to outscore them by 17 points in the second half, marking a franchise-record 12th consecutive playoff victory for New York.

The Spurs managed to limit Victor Wembanyama, forcing him into a challenging shooting night at 6-of-21 and contributing to six turnovers. Wembanyama, who scored 26 points, took the blame for the defeat both after the game and again on Thursday.

While he didn’t fully trust the Knicks’ defense, he didn’t seem overly impressed with their methods either.

“It’s kind of like me. I don’t know… There’s something I need to figure out. I feel like I should play normally, even if I’m not contributing well. If I’m doing my thing, that should be sufficient,” he noted. “When I messed up, that’s when I faced issues. I shouldn’t worry; we’ll improve. I’ll be better.”

Coach Mitch Johnson of the Spurs shared a similar perspective on their performance in the series opener. He remarked that San Antonio appeared too isolated on offense, depending too much on raw talent instead of the teamwork that brought them this far. With only 16 assists and 43 three-point attempts—converting just 11—it wasn’t optimal.

“From a team standpoint, we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities to pass enough, which led to many missed shots,” he reflected. He also acknowledged the Knicks’ efforts, stating that there’s significant room for improvement moving forward.

It’s worth mentioning that the Spurs have faced adversity in the past. They trailed against both the Thunder and the Timberwolves in previous playoff series.

“We just have to play our own game. We need to keep it simple,” Wembanyama concluded. “No need for anything extraordinary.”