{
  "id": 13751725,
  "title": "Mitch Johnson gets brutally honest about how the Spurs are not prepared for opening night",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/mitch-johnson-gets-brutally-honest-about-how-the-spurs-are-not",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-11T16:23:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mitch-johnson-gets-brutally-honest-162306015.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Head coach Mitch Johnson has expressed his disappointment with the San Antonio Spurs' preparation for the upcoming 2026-27 season. After a five-game loss to the New York Knicks in the 2025-26 NBA Finals, the Spurs now face higher standards and expectations. Johnson wants to see more from his team, especially as they are playing against their Western Conference Finals rivals, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs, despite catching everyone off guard in the 2025-26 season, now have to live up to these high expectations. Johnson acknowledges the challenge ahead, stating that tonight's preseason game did not feel like they were ready for opening night. He emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of opportunities and being fully locked in for their crucial matchup against the Thunder. Johnson's words highlight the pressure on the Spurs to match the success achieved under former head coach Gregg Popovich.",
  "summary": "Mitch Johnson is unhappy ahead of the Spurs' opening night game against the Thunder.",
  "key_points": [
    "Mitch Johnson expresses disappointment in Spurs' preseason readiness.",
    "Team faces high expectations after 2025-26 NBA Finals loss.",
    "Johnson emphasizes need to take advantage of opportunities."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}