NBA FINALS: KNICKS VS. SPURS

June 9, 2026

Dylan Harper

San Antonio Spurs

Practice Day

Q. You mentioned last night that this is the first time yesterday that you felt unwelcome in New York. What has that experience been like for you? Have you ever been booed walking out of a hotel? What has this whole thing felt like for you?

DYLAN HARPER: It's my first time in New York walking out and getting booed, I can say that. It's kind of been every series. I think OKC, we got booed a little bit. Not really much in Minnesota and Portland. But I feel like it's New York, hostile environment. I don't think that it would feel the same if it wasn't this hostile.

Q. You've had a lot of success getting to the rim in this series, throughout the playoffs, but obviously the Finals so far, the 3 hasn't been there. I'm curious, do you expect the Knicks to challenge you to shoot more from there? Then how do you decide, okay, I'm settling for the 3 that they want me to take, or am I just taking the open look?

DYLAN HARPER: I feel like every night is not going to be your night. Last night, I couldn't make a shot. That's just the reality of the game. I'm going to keep on shooting them because I feel like the confidence I have in myself, the confidence the team has in me.

No, it's just really taking the best shot for the team, not for myself. I feel like yesterday's shots wasn't falling. So I can't really hang my head too much, because we've got a lot more basketball to be played.

Q. You win in Game 7 in OKC. You come here last night with the environment, everything going on, you win again. What is it about this team? Why are you guys able to be so comfortable on the road and especially in big environments?

DYLAN HARPER: I feel like we just stay together in environments like this. The biggest thing, when we come to away games in the playoffs, for us at least, it's been just staying together and holding each other accountable.

I feel like with the level of desperation and desire that we played with last night, I feel like we're pretty hard to beat when we do that.

Q. The last five champions or so have spent a lot of time together, the core of their teams playing together, getting to know one another. These Knicks obviously have known each other for a long time. Some of them played in college even. You guys are all kind of in your first year together essentially. Some have been before, but like De'Aaron didn't play last year and all that. How do you build continuity and get to that place where you can play off of one another in a Finals and kind of almost microwave that chemistry where other teams have had years to develop it?

DYLAN HARPER: I feel like we hang out outside of basketball a lot as a team, do things like team dinner or we play games as a team. I feel like those kind of events and things like that make up for the years that we weren't together or the years that we haven't had.

So the biggest thing, I feel like, is chemistry when you get in a building like this, when you get in an environment like this. I feel like we have the most chemistry and camaraderie and togetherness as anyone else.

Q. You mentioned the hostile environment here. Usually Vic is the guy that's going to get the brunt of that. He's 7'4", he's the All-Star. They're going to boo him. They're going to F-bomb him. How have you seen him react to being the villain in these situations, for lack of a better word?

DYLAN HARPER: He kind of just steps up to the moment all the time, no matter what moment it is, where we're at, what game it is. He's just going to step up. That's just the type of player he is.

Q. It has already been three games. When you look at the Knicks and what you guys are doing, what advantages do you think your team has over New York to tie the series and win the series?

DYLAN HARPER: I feel like the biggest advantage, I think we understand who we are. We understand what we need to do to win games in this type of environment. I feel like for us it's to keep stacking possessions on possessions and just staying together and being a team.

JULIAN CHAMPAGNIE: How does it feel to be one of the best guards in the league?

DYLAN HARPER: (Laughter).

JULIAN CHAMPAGNIE: No, I don't have no questions. I just wanted to say hi.

DYLAN HARPER: It's all good. I feel like I have a great supporting cast. I feel like on the wing, if I ever need an assist, No. 30 is right next to me. So I feel like just as much as I put pressure on the rim, we've got great shooters, like Mr. Champagnie himself, that just allows us to be great.