LAS VEGAS — The Spurs and Knicks meet Tuesday night in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup final. The league will crown a first-time champion. That alone gives the game weight. Yet San Antonio already feel like winners. Regardless of the result, the Spurs emerge as the biggest winners of this season’s NBA Cup.
NBA Cup Final: Win Or Lose, The Spurs Are Winners
For New York, a win would validate years of patience. Jalen Brunson would anchor a team with tangible silverware. For San Antonio, the stakes feel broader. This game measures distance from promise to contention.
Lessons From Previous Finals
The NBA Cup has shaped seasons more than most people know. Its finalists rarely leave unchanged. In 2023, the Lakers defeated Indiana in the inaugural final. Los Angeles treated the trophy like a championship. That win emboldened LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Their demands snowballed, among other factors, into Davis’s eventual exit from the franchise. In the short term, Los Angeles was gentleman-swept in the first round by Denver.
The Pacers lost but gained clarity. Indiana refined its pace and defensive discipline. That loss fueled an Eastern Conference finals run months later. The losers emerged as long-term winners.
The pattern repeated in 2024. Milwaukee beat Oklahoma City in a defensive slugfest. Experience carried the Bucks through that night. Yet the Thunder absorbed the moment.
They later turned those lessons into a title. The Bucks flamed out in the first round against the Pacers before breaking up their tandem.
Why San Antonio Already Wins
San Antonio now stands at that same crossroads. If the Spurs win, perception shifts completely. They stop projecting upward and start arriving. Oddsmakers expected a play-in team with their preseason win total of 44.5.
A win would also slow reckless urgency. The front office could trust internal growth over a superstar pursuit (cough, Giannis Antetokounmpo). Victor Wembanyama and company would gain belief, not pressure.
Even a Loss Brings Momentum
A final loss does not diminish the Spurs’ position. History suggests the opposite. Young teams have weaponized disappointment. A competitive loss sharpens priorities. It exposes playoff weaknesses early.
San Antonio will study the Knicks closely. They will learn what elite execution looks like. That knowledge often accelerates timelines. It can also trigger bold decisions..
The Bigger Picture
This final reflects something larger. San Antonio belongs in meaningful games again. They no longer lurk in rebuilding anonymity. The NBA Cup simply revealed that truth sooner when they ended Oklahoma City’s 16-game winning streak. It also gave them their first look at their Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle core being available at the same time.
Win or lose, the Spurs gain leverage. They gain belief, information, and credibility. Those assets could matter more than ‘banners in December’ down the line. The Spurs will emerge as winners no matter the outcome of the NBA Cup final.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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