The 62-win Spurs just joined one of the rarest lists in NBA history: 60+ win teams that lost the Finals in 5 games or less. It’s happened 3 times. The Knicks caused 2 of them.
Went down a rabbit hole after the Finals and found this stat.
Only three teams in NBA history have won 60+ regular season games and then lost the Finals in 5 games or less:
1973 Lakers (60-22): lost 4-1 to the Knicks
1975 Bullets (60-22): swept 4-0 by the Warriors
2026 Spurs (62-20): lost 4-1 to the Knicks
The rest of the seven 60+ win teams that lost in the Finals all at least made it to a Game 6:
1985 Celtics (63-19): lost in 6
1993 Suns (62-20): lost in 6
1996 Sonics (64-18): lost in 6
1997 Jazz (64-18): lost in 6
1998 Jazz (62-20): lost in 6
2006 Mavs (60-22): lost in 6
2016 Warriors (73-9): lost in 7
It’s not like the Spurs were frauds. They had the unanimous DPOY, won 62 games, dominated the West, and knocked out the 64 win defending champs to get there.
The Knicks somehow dropped them in 5, while trailing for most of the series and coming back by double digits in every single game.
The Knicks have now done this twice and ironically it was their last championship before the current one, 53 years apart.