Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama pose for a photo during Spurs Media Day.

Credit: Kiko Martinez In his 2018 book, The Mamba Mentality, the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant wrote, "The agony of defeat is as low as the joy of winning is high." It's a lesson the San Antonio Spurs had to learn after falling to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals this past summer.

Sign up Even after exceeding expectations, losing still stings.