"An unbelievable experience"- Dylan Harper reflects on tough NBA Cup Final loss as young San Antonio Spurs learn hard lessons against New York Knicks

The San Antonio Spurs were certain to win the NBA Cup after defeating the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night in the semifinals. The Spurs got off to a great start, leading by five points at the end of the first three quarters. However, the New York Knicks won by 11 points after outscoring San Antonio 35–19 in the last period.

With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Victor Wembanyama made a deep 3-pointer to put San Antonio ahead 92-81. Now, following the defeat, Dylan Harper of the Spurs talked about the unfortunate event. After the San Antonio Spurs' 124-113 loss to the New York Knicks in Tuesday's NBA Cup final at T-Mobile Arena, the young talent opened up about it.

Dylan Harper stays upbeat after NBA Cup Final loss and calls it a valuable learning moment for Spurs

Harper discussed the lessons he learnt from his early high-stakes games. After the match, he said:

“It was an unbelievable experience to be a part of this…I’m 3 months into the NBA and I get to go through things like this with a great group of guys."

He also stressed the value of effort and concentration when asked about lessons for upcoming high-pressure games. He then continued:

“It’s do or die. You’ve seen the level of intensity rise up for us and them. Obviously, they came out with the win. But for us, it’s not taking anything for granted; I think that’s the biggest thing. When we all go out there, we all know that we’ve got to play 110% in order to win things like this.”

Despite their loss, San Antonio is still among the best teams in the Western Conference and seems ready for a long postseason run. Harper admitted that performing on a platform with such high stakes was difficult. He added:

“The mindset we went into the game… we got away from it in the fourth quarter, but overall we’re going to take a lot from it and apply it to the next time."




The rookie emphasized on the team's effort and continued:

“You see how hard we’re playing out there, diving for loose balls, going to get offensive rebounds, just doing anything we could do to help our team win..”

Harper also discussed how his father, a five-time NBA champion, advised him to maintain his composure throughout the demanding seasons. He added:

“He always tells me there’s 82 games in the season. Every game isn’t going to go your way, but staying levelheaded through it all is the biggest thing he’s told me."

It's only their second game together, Harper said, reflecting on the team's development.

Dylan Harper shines in NBA Cup final loss as Spurs struggle to adjust and contain Knicks duo

During the same interview, Harper further talked about the challenges of playing half-court offence when important teammates have just returned. He said:

“Vic just got back, Steph just got back, and all of us were out at one time. Finding how to play with each other at a high level comes with time and experience..”

Despite having seven players in double figures at the end, San Antonio was unable to match the 53 points scored by Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. New York also finished the game with 17 more rebounds, dominating San Antonio.

On the other hand, rookie Dylan Harper was Spurs' most outstanding player in the loss, who led the team in scoring with 21 points off the bench. Harper finished 5-for-7 from long range thanks to his accurate long-range shooting.



Also read: NBA injury update: Victor Wembanyama set to play key role as San Antonio Spurs face New York Knicks in NBA Cup final