Spurs Fans Look Ahead to 2027 After Heartbreaking Loss

San Antonio Spurs fan Tony Nixon stands in line to get into Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Saturday, June 13, 2026, before Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

A Spurs fan makes their voice heard during the first quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Championship at Frost Bank Center on Saturday, June13, 2026.

Fans enter the Frost Bank Center prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Saturday, June 13, 2026.

Fans wait for the doors to open prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Saturday, June 13, 2026.

The cheers of celebrating New York Knicks fans filled the upper-level concourse of the Frost Bank Center on Saturday night as Renee Garcia and Jose Alvarado joined a stream of Spurs fans heading for the exits.

The Spurs had just fallen, 94-90, in Game 5, as the Knicks claimed their first championship since 1973.

But the Spurs fans, clad in matching alien antenna headbands and glasses, weren't dejected after the four-point loss.

They were already thinking ahead to next year, Alvarado chanting "Spurs in 2027" as Knicks fans celebrated behind him.

"Next year is our year," Garcia said confidently.

Karen Maddocks, wearing a balloon alien headband and Victor Wembanyama shirt, was just as optimistic despite the loss.

'They're an amazing young team,' the 30-year season-ticket holder said.

'I will be back next year,' she said. 'We'll be back, and we've got more championships.'

She joined the thousands of loyal Spurs fans who packed the arena, sitting alongside thousands of Knicks fans who flew across the country to watch their team clinch the long-awaited title.

Tony Vega Sr. and his son, Tony Vega Jr., also boarded a plane from the East Coast for the occasion -- but they were wearing Spurs jerseys, not Knicks gear.

The elder Vega has been a Spurs fan since Tim Duncan was drafted, he said, and has raised his son to be a lifelong fan, despite growing up just outside of Philadelphia in New Jersey.

They've seen the Spurs play close to home, including at Madison Square Garden, but Vega Sr. wanted his son to experience a Spurs home game atmosphere, he said -- though he wasn't expecting so many Knicks fans to join them on the trek.

He paid $1,900 each for the two tickets, and said the trip was a gift for his son's high school graduation.

Vega Sr. said they were already making plans to return to San Antonio for regular season games in the future.

'Everyone's been kind, helpful, everything is gorgeous, clean,' he said.

'It's a dream come true to come here,' his son said.

Other Spurs fans were also already dreaming about future games before the final whistle had blown -- looking ahead to when the young Spurs roster will return with more experience under their belts.

'This is totally unexpected,' said Valerie Vasquez of the Spurs' long run through the playoffs.

'We shouldn't even have June basketball with the youngest team in the Finals.

This is a blessing in itself,' she said.

She grew up watching the 'big three' of Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, and said it feels like coming full circle to watch her daughter root for Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle.

'I'm just so excited, I love our team,' she said.

'It's really magical, I'm super thankful.'

Tony Nixon, a fellow longtime fan, arrived with unfailing confidence that the Spurs would gift him a win on his 55th birthday.

He was armed with his best good luck talismans: a lucky Fiesta medal depicting the late 'Spurs Lady,' Sovia Lauriano, and a Darth Vader toy from his late brother, Sid.

But while he was absolutely sure they'd win the next two games and return home for Game 7, he was also thinking about how no matter the outcome, this season's challenges would help the team in the future.

'We're only going to get better,' he said.

A tough series, with such close losses, 'is going to make them stronger,' he said.

Nixon said the young Spurs remind him of another young star who didn't have immediate playoff success.

'I remember a young kid, 1997, who played for the Lakers and shot air balls in the playoffs against Utah,

'he said.

'He ended up okay, Kobe Bryant.

That's what's going to happen here: We may not win this series, but the experience and the hunger, it's what's going to lead them in the future,' he said.

'I was just hoping they'd make the playoffs this year, so this is extra,' Nixon said.

'Win or lose, I'm so proud of these guys, they've come so far, so this is just a blessing,' he said.

Liz Teitz covers water and environment in San Antonio and the Hill Country for the Express-News.