Magic Johnson knows exactly what it takes to win a championship under pressure. After Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA legend pointed out a coaching error that changed the course of the series. 

Johnson appeared on ESPN’s "Get Up" on June 12 and analyzed the Game 4 collapse of the Spurs against the Knicks, which ended in a 107-106 scoreline in favor of the latter. He believes the Spurs played great basketball for most of the night, but it all came down to New York executing better as the clock wound down.

"They should be down by the fact they didn’t execute in the fourth quarter, and Coach Johnson (Mitch) made a huge mistake," he said in a clip shared by NBA Courtside on X. "When you're up 20, (he says), 'Big man Victor, come sit down.'"

This substitution involving Victor Wembanyama was the turning point in Johnson's eyes. Explaining how it should have ideally been managed, he added:

"At the end of the third quarter, he should have took him out and said, 'You get this time out,' like Pat Riley used to tell me, 'You going to get this time out, and you will get another three or four minutes, then I’ll put you back in to end the game.'" 

He believes Wembanyama needed a short, structured rest before returning to close the game. Wembanyama played around 44 minutes in Game 4, which is a heavy load for a big man. This likely limited his ability to dominate late in the fourth quarter. 

Magic Johnson compared this to how Mike Brown handled Jalen Brunson for the Knicks. Brown managed the minutes perfectly, keeping Brunson fresh enough to finish strong.

However, Johnson thinks the Spurs should feel encouraged despite trailing 3-1.

"If I'm the Spurs, I'm feeling good. Yeah, I lost, but I'm going home, we correct some mistakes that we made, and we can win and make it a 3-2 series, and come back to New York."

He sees these late-game mistakes as correctable rather than a flaw for the young team. San Antonio has to adjust its strategy before taking the court again.

Fixing the Errors Before Game 5

The Knicks pulled off a stunning 107-106 comeback victory in Game 4, with OG Anunoby nailing a putback after a missed long-range three from Jalen Brunson. New York now holds a 3-1 series lead over San Antonio. They are just one win away from securing their first championship since 1973.

Magic Johnson believes the Spurs are still capable of extending the series. All four games in these Finals have been very competitive and decided by small margins. He noted that San Antonio has played good basketball throughout the entire series.

They struggle with fourth-quarter execution and poor clock management. The players fail to close out defensive possessions. Fatigue among key players also seems to have played a role in these late collapses.

Victor Wembanyama has been dominating with high series averages. However, in Game 4, his shooting efficiency dropped. He shot 9-of-25 from the field and recorded only 1 assist.

"We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half," Wembanyama said via FOX News. "It was painful, of course. It feels like we worked too hard and give up our leads. It's as simple as that. It just hurts."

The supporting players are doing their part, with Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell providing scoring numbers. In Game 4, they built a massive 29-point lead, but finishing games remains the biggest challenge.

Game 5 offers the Spurs a chance to prove the critics right about their resilience. They have to fix these issues immediately to keep the Finals alive. 

Read more at Air Jordan Chronicles! 

Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Yash Kotak