Gregg Popovich Refreshes Spurs Before NBA Finals Game 3 Against Knicks

Gregg Popovich may no longer be on the sidelines for the San Antonio Spurs, but his impact has not left the bench.

Ahead of Monday's NBA Finals matchup with the New York Knicks, Popovich delivered a clear message to the Spurs, refreshing them in the days before a pivotal Game 3 tilt.

"Pretty much, his message was let the last two games go," said Spurs guard Stephon Castle regarding Popovich's pregame advice. "It happened. They were very winnable games. And we thought we gave them those games. But we've got to let those go and focus on the next one."

The Spurs let a couple of games get away from them to open the series against New York, blowing a 14-point lead in Game 1 before they stormed back from a double-digit disadvantage in Game 2 to take a lead with under a minute to play, only to watch the Knicks overcome them down the stretch.

Entering Game 3 trailing 0-2 in the series, this is about as close to a must-win game as it gets for San Antonio. With that said, the Spurs remain confident in their ability to come back and pull off an unlikely series win after receiving a message from their former head coach, who officially stepped down in May 2025 after suffering a mild stroke in November of that year.

"We feel the next game is the most important game of the series," added Castle.

It wasn't long ago that a team absorbed an 0-2 series hole to storm back and win the NBA Finals, with the Milwaukee Bucks doing so in 2021 against the Phoenix Suns. However, no NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit.

Monday's Game 3 is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are hoping to inch one step closer to their first championship since 1973, while if the Spurs pull off the comeback, it would be their first title since 2014.

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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 8:03 PM.