​The 2026 NBA Finals are officially underway, and the San Antonio Spurs have hit their first major hurdle. After falling 105-95 in a gritty Game 1 at the Frost Bank Center, the atmosphere in San Antonio is tense. But if you’re looking for a team that’s panicking, you’re looking at the wrong locker room.

​Spurs guard Stephon Castle isn’t just optimistic about Game 2; he’s flat-out defiant. Despite the 1-0 deficit, Castle is echoing the sentiment of his star teammate Victor Wembanyama, delivering a message that has rippled through the league: The Spurs are the better team, and they know it.

​The “Over-Excited” Factor

​Why did a team that dominated the regular season look so shaky in the series opener? Castle believes it boils down to the biggest stage in basketball.

​”I think it’s most of our first time being in the Finals,” Castle explained during media availability. “Obviously, a big moment… we are overly excited to get out there and play.”

​For a young squad like San Antonio, the “Finals Jitters” are real. But Castle noted that the Spurs have been in this position before during their playoff run, proving that they are more than capable of settling down and finding their rhythm when the stakes are highest.

​Back to Basics: Why “Spurs Basketball” is the Answer

​The primary critique coming out of Game 1 wasn’t just the final score—it was how the Spurs lost. By their own admission, San Antonio strayed from the brand of basketball that got them to the Finals.

​Mitch Johnson, the Spurs’ head coach, didn’t mince words: “We didn’t play the pass enough. We didn’t put enough pressure on the rim.”

​The data backs this up. In a game where Victor Wembanyama struggled to find his stroke, the team settled for “decent” looks rather than grinding out the extra pass for the “perfect” look. Castle, who put up 17 points, admitted that he and his teammates were guilty of settling. But the adjustment for Game 2 is simple: return to the trust-based, ball-movement system that secured a 60-win season.

​Wembanyama, ever the stoic leader, simplified the path to victory: “‘Normal’ means trusting each other, trusting the basketball gods… We’ve been playing a certain way all season. There’s no reason to change the day the Finals start.”

​The Resilience Test

​This isn’t the first time the Spurs have faced adversity in these playoffs. They’ve stared down deficits in every round, and each time, they’ve responded with a calm, methodical dominance. While the New York Knicks have proven they are a formidable challenge, the Spurs’ collective mental state remains rock solid.

​As Game 2 approaches, the message from San Antonio is clear: Ignore the noise, ignore the Game 1 result, and play their game. If they can rediscover their rhythm, the Spurs believe the Game 1 loss will be nothing more than a minor speed bump on their path to the title.