Devin Vassell’s eye-opening admission after Spurs defeat Knicks for 3rd straight win

New York is eyeing a long playoff run. They went into the Frost Bank Center with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

“Proud of us for controlling the game,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said.

“Of course, they came back in the third quarter but it’s to be expected from a team like this, a contender. We knew how to control the game, so that’s good. Hard fought battle. I feel proud because they are a very good team, especially defensively, so it just shows our progression.”

Popovich applauded his team’s resilience. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks went up two after they’d trailed Pop and the Spurs by 21 in the first half.

“All teams lose leads in this league. The three point shot allows for that. But, how you come back from it is important. If it was earlier in the year we would not have sustained our own execution, our own pace and that sort of thing. Playing a very physical team, they gave what they got and stayed strong when New York made a heck of a run. To me that’s the best part of the game. It shows that progression in what it takes to win a game in the NBA.”

Things finally coming together

For the second straight game, the Spurs shot well. After hitting 51.2% in Wednesday’s 118-111 win at the Utah Jazz, they made 53.7% of their field goals on Friday.

“I thought we were just clicking, finally clicking. It took us a while, obviously, but we’re clicking at the right time and building momentum into next year. These games, even though our record is what it is, these games are big for us for going into next year and building us up,” Vassell said.

Popovich also talked about the future beyond this season.

“Well, one would hope so, sure,” the longest tenured coach in the NBA answered when asked if any momentum now will translate after mid April.

“That’s how you progress, that’s how you mature, that’s how you have hope, that’s how people feel better about themselves, both individually and as a group. How they react as a group is in some ways more important than the individual, because they’ve all got to come together.”

Leading up to Friday, the Spurs had beaten the Phoenix Suns twice in a row in late October and early November, the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets in mid-January, the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves in late January and the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers in late February and early March.

Another win against the Suns kickstarted another streak for the Spurs. Though, two games later, this one hasn’t ended yet.