The San Antonio Spurs absolutely shocked everyone in the 2025-26 season, making a run to the NBA Finals after analysts expected a gradual climb. This team fast-tracked their way to being one of the league’s elite, blowing past all projections of a multi-year rebuild. Honestly, nobody saw them becoming this good, this fast. The main critique, though, was always about their inexperience in such a high-stakes environment.
The Inexperience Tag That Followed Them All The Way To The Finals
Even as the Spurs kept proving everyone wrong on their way to the championship series, that “inexperience” tag was constantly thrown at them. And yeah, it finally caught up. They fell to the New York Knicks in five games in the NBA Finals. Head coach Mitch Johnson, himself pretty green at the elite level, was right there with his team, learning some hard lessons from that defeat. Now, after surprising the league, the Spurs have real expectations on their shoulders. They’re no longer the underdog, they’re the hunted heading into the 2026-27 season. The question is, can they live up to it?
Johnson’s Mandate: Turn Scars Into Success
Coach Johnson is clear on what needs to happen next. He wants his squad to fully embrace and learn from every bit of the experience they gained in the 2026 Playoffs. This isn’t just about moving on, it’s about actively using what they went through to push forward. Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Johnson didn’t pull any punches about how the word “experience” was used against them. “The word experience got used, or lack thereof, for our group last year. Last year, we had as much experience as anybody. It’s interesting how that word can be almost weaponized at times,” he said. He added, “We’ve talked a lot about it, and we’re trying to carry every experience we have from last year. The good, the bad, and the successes we’ve experienced, and the nightmares, the scars, and the things that will never leave us.” That’s a powerful statement right there.
That mindset is everything. They absolutely blew away expectations last season, and now they’re seen as favorites. It’s on them to take those “scars and nightmares” from the Finals loss and turn them into fuel. The goal is clear: succeed again, and even surpass what they accomplished in the incredible 2025-26 campaign. They’ve got the spotlight now, and it’ll be fascinating to see if they can use that hard-won experience to make the next jump.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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