No doubt on who Hurley’s rooting for in NBA Finals

Dan Hurley has been a Knicks fan all his life. Favorite player: Bernard King.

But this isn’t about a Jersey City guy and a love affair with the darlings of Madison Square Garden. This is about UConn basketball family, now. The Knicks may be in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, may be going for their first championship since 1973, but they’d have to beat Stephon Castle to do it.

“No, I’m not torn,” Hurley said told The Courant on Tuesday morning. “I mean, I love the Knicks. They have always been my favorite NBA team. I’m obviously going with … I’m rolling with Steph, there’s no question about that.”

Castle was a one-and-done at UConn in 2023-24, growing before our eyes over the course of that season and playing a huge role in the Huskies’ repeat as national champions. A lot of freshmen are ready to be drafted into the NBA, projected to be something special; Castle was ready to play in the NBA at age 19. He was rookie of the year last season, and played a major role in turning the Spurs around, almost 180 degrees, in his second season.

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Now San Antonio, having knocked off the defending champion Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, faces the Knicks, who have won 11 straight playoff games in the East, for the championship, the seven-game series starts Wednesday night.

“One of the more appealing finals we’ve seen,” Hurley said. “You’ve got the Knicks and the history of the Knicks, a more veteran group, versus this young and talented, ahead-of-schedule Spurs team.”

Hurley and Castle shared a long, tight hug when Castle walked off the court in Glendale, Ariz., the championship game against Purdue secured in UConn’s hand on April 8, 2024. Castle averaged 10.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists during that tournament, scoring 21 in the semifinals against Alabama. More important than those numbers, he functioned as part of Hurley’s designs, playing disruptive defense, playing well within a group of stars and fitting in with the culture. Hurley used to call him “the anti-five-star” recruit.

“It starts, as it usually does, at home with the parents Steph was blessed to have, Stacey and Quannette,” Hurley said. “Just a great inner circle that stayed small. He just never was concerned about rankings or draft positioning, it was just humility about him. Being coachable, working hard, getting better. I know it sounds corny, but they were demanding parents, they didn’t manage his career, they held him accountable they wanted him to be coached hard. … We put him in a great structure and he was able to develop championship habits.”

Meanwhile, the Spurs, who won five championships between 1999 and 2014, had missed the playoffs five years in a row going into the 2024 NBA Draft. They were eyeing Castle with the No. 4 pick.

“Any time you deal with an early entry,” Hurley said, “you know some of them are not no-brainers. Some of them are, ‘Let’s talk about this. … I’m leaning towards, you should come back,’  and ‘Hey, you have a hard decision to make.’ Then you look at how (Castle) played in the Final Four, how he played in March Madness, whether it was defense, all-around performance, and a couple of days after the season’s over you have nothing left to talk about. It’s like, ‘There’s no decision to be made, you’re ready. So let’s hug, and good luck.’”

Castle, 6 feet 6, joined Victor Wembanyama, 7-4, top pick in the previous draft and one of The Association’s fast rising superstars, and a franchise that was getting the draft picks right. Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich was ailing and stepped aside as coach, Mitch Johnson took over, with former UConn walk-on Mike Noyes as one of his assistants, and the Spurs went 62-20 this past regular season. Castle averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

“He could play in the backcourt with with any type of other guard,” Hurley said. “That’s what allowed him to make it work. He can play on-ball, he can play off-ball, so his ability to fit with (Dylan) Harper and (De’Aaron) Fox, and be able to be versatile with them. When the lineup changes and he needs to be the primary on-ball, it’s similar to what it was at UConn with Cam Spencer and Tristen (Newton). I think for Steph, he’s he’s all about winning, it’s not about ego. He could play with any type of roster.”

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Since Castle has been in the NBA, LeBron James has gone out of his way to seek him out after games, and praise him on social media, saying many of the things Hurley always has. James gave him a signed jersey inscribed, “I love everything about you. Keep going up. Strive for greatness.”

“He’s a warrior,” Hurley said. “He plays as hard as anyone and he’s got the game, he’s got the skills. It’s rare that a player appeals to the old school, the players that play with great intensity, and then the new school that love the skill. He plays like the old school and the new school, and fans of basketball love the way he plays.”

The widely-held perception in the NBA is that the West is the much stronger of the two conferences, but the Jalen Brunson-led Knicks (53-29), the No. 3 seed in the East have caught fire, losing two tight games to Atlanta in the first round, then blowing out the Hawks the next three, and sweeping the 76ers and Cavaliers. The Spurs come off a grueling series against top-seed Oklahoma City, winning Game 7 on the road.

“The Knicks remind me of the way we were playing in the (2023 and ’24) NCAA Tournaments,” Hurley said. “Their confidence, the dominance. When you talk to your basketball friends, what you’re asking is, ‘Is the East that much worse than the West, or are the Knicks just playing that well?’  … I do believe the Spurs are going to need to make the Knicks uncomfortable, pressuring them by getting up the court. Pick Brunson up full court and really make it a lot tougher on them than it was with the Cavaliers and the Sixers. Use that young athleticism and that length on the perimeter, does that end up bothering Brunson?”

How much the more grueling road to The Finals has taken out of the Spurs could be a key to the series, Hurley noted. But if it comes down to a Knicks ride down Wall Street’s Canyon of Heroes or another championship ring for Stephon Castle’s collection, there’s no doubt about Hurley’s allegiance.

“You know, there is obviously tremendous pride in one of your own,” he said.

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