Popovich’s message – With the Spurs staring at an 0-2 Finals hole, Gregg Popovich’s pregame message—“let the last two games go”—arrives as Monday’s Game 3 tips at 8:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
When the Spurs walked toward Monday night’s Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, the message from their former head coach was simple—and it landed fast.
Gregg Popovich may no longer be on the sidelines for the San Antonio Spurs, but his influence is still felt in the days before a pivotal tilt. Ahead of the New York Knicks matchup, Popovich delivered a clear reminder to move past what already happened in the first two games.
“Pretty much, his message was let the last two games go,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “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.”
It’s hard to separate that advice from what the Spurs have been carrying since the series opened. In Game 1, they blew a 14-point lead against the Knicks. In Game 2. San Antonio rallied from a double-digit deficit to take a lead with under a minute to play—only to watch New York answer down the stretch and leave the Spurs trailing 0-2 entering Game 3.
For San Antonio, Monday’s game is about as close to a must-win situation as the Finals can produce. If the Spurs don’t find a way to pull even. the series heads toward a verdict that’s difficult to outlast. Still. they’re leaning on confidence that they can flip the script. with Castle emphasizing that the focus has to land on what happens next.
“We feel the next game is the most important game of the series,” Castle added.
Popovich’s presence feels particularly resonant after stepping away from his role. He officially stepped down in May 2025 after suffering a mild stroke in November of that year. Even without being on the bench now. the timing of his message is tied directly to this moment—when a team at the edge needs one clean shift in mindset.
San Antonio isn’t alone in hoping that history can bend. A team down 0-2 has stormed back to win the NBA Finals before—Milwaukee did it in 2021 against the Phoenix Suns. But there’s a stark limit to that hope. 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 chasing a step closer to their first championship since 1973. For the Spurs, a comeback would mean something bigger than just avoiding elimination—it would be their first title since 2014.
The series, after all, isn’t being decided by what happened at the buzzer in Games 1 and 2. Popovich’s message, as the Spurs are treating it, is about clearing the slate—and showing up for the next possession like it can change everything.
Gregg Popovich Spurs Knicks NBA Finals Game 3 Stephon Castle Madison Square Garden 2014 Spurs championship 1973 Knicks title drought