Karl-Anthony Towns believes age played a factor in the Spurs blowing leads in the Finals

1 hour ago 1

Throughout the 2026 NBA Playoffs, people were talking about how the San Antonio Spurs lacked postseason experience. Despite all of those comments, they were still winning games and managed to reach the NBA Finals to play against the New York Knicks.

The Spurs thought they would pull a magical first-time run with the young roster, but they finally felt the inexperience in the Finals. They often built strong leads in the first half, but the Knicks kept clawing back and winning the games. Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns believes he knows the primary reason behind those Spurs collapses.

Karl-Anthony Towns knows the reason behind the Spurs' NBA Finals collapses

When it comes to the differences between the Spurs and the Knicks, it was clear that the latter was a more mature team. They had plenty of experienced players in their late 20s and even 30s. The Spurs lacked experienced veterans beyond former champions Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet.

Fortunately for them, they had a young core that was ready to keep fighting. Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper had a combined six seasons in the NBA, but they were still going toe-to-toe with the experienced Knicks.

MORE: Cameron Boozer calls the Knicks the blueprint for success in the NBA

As one of the pillars of the Knicks' success, Towns believed that experience and age played a significant role in the matchup between them and the Spurs. They were a team that did not get rattled even though they were significantly outplayed at times, especially during Game 4 when the Spurs held a 29-point lead before collapsing.

"I think sometimes when you’re a young team you look to not lose the game, and we were looking to win the game. That’s what made us bring such aggression to the game, and I think they were just trying to protect the lead," Towns said about the Spurs' problem on The New York Times' The Interview.

It is an insightful answer from Towns as he was honest about the Spurs' problems. Everyone knows they are a talented team, but the Knicks' struggles were a problem they knew they could resolve. Unfortunately for the Spurs, their critics were correct, but they have plenty of time left to redeem themselves.