In both Game 1 and Game 2, the New York Knicks would stunned the San Antonio crowd to take advantage of a 2-0 lead. Well, on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, it was the Spurs that would do the same thing to the Knicks in a 115-111 victory to make this NBA Finals a 2-1 series turnaround.
“If we play our brand of basketball up to our standards, we’ll be just fine,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said.
The combination of Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle proved to be too much for the Knicks to handle, causing the Knicks to drop a 13-game winning streak. Both Wemby and Castle became the youngest pair of players ages 22 and younger to each score 20 or more points in a Finals game.
“I really tried to relax,” said Wembanyama, who joined Tim Duncan as the only other Spur to score 25 points or more in three consecutive Finals games. “The playoffs, it’s like a whirlwind. It’s hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes, I don’t even have time to watch the games back right away. I need some time off to let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.”
Wembanyama poured in a game-high-tying 32 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks, and Castle contributed 23 points, five rebounds and five assists.
“I really tried to relax,” said Wembanyama, who joined Tim Duncan as the only other Spur to score 25 points or more in three consecutive Finals games. “The playoffs, it’s like a whirlwind. It’s hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes, I don’t even have time to watch the games back right away. I need some time off to let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.
Meanwhile, the Knicks has a lot of work to accomplish to go after their first NBA title in 53 years after the debacle Game 3 performance which included President Donald Trump in attendance. The New York crowd booed the President which got the Spurs in a momentum they needed to take an early 33-22 lead in the end of the first quarter.
The Spurs handed the Knicks their first loss in 46 days and potentially salvaged their season in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd.
The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in NBA postseason history, snapped and missed a chance to move to the brink of their first title since 1973. Their previous loss occurred on April 23 in a one-point defeat to the Atlanta Hawks. They won the next three against Atlanta, swept Philadelphia and Cleveland and took the first two games against the Spurs.
The run stirred New York into a frenzy, with raucous watch parties, fans paying outrageous sums of money for tickets and “Knicks In Four” becoming a daily greeting on streets, subway cars and in workplaces.
But Wembanyama and the Spurs ended the streak and ruined the Knicks’ first home NBA Finals game since 1999.
“At home, it really feels like playing six against five. Here, it feels like five against six,” Wembanyama said. “It really shows what teams are made of.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown complained about the Spurs’ 24-8 advantage in free throw attempts in the second half.
“I tell the guys, it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” Brown said. “They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have an iconic player. It’s not going to be easy.”
Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox hit big shots late as the Spurs avoided falling into a 3-0 hole, which no NBA team has escaped. Now they can tie the series on Wednesday night and are guaranteed another game at home, with Game 5 scheduled for Saturday.
Jalen Brunson had 32 points for the Knicks and OG Anunoby had 28.
Minutes after Trump was booed loudly when he was shown during the national anthem, the Spurs got off to an ideal start. Wembanyama dunked for their first two baskets and they had a double-digit lead 4 1/2 minutes into the game. San Antonio made nine of its first 11 shots, with the Knicks and their fans frustrated by the referees and the home team’s sloppy play, and led 33-22 after one.
The Garden crowd didn’t really start to rock until Anunoby’s 3-pointer capped an 11-2 surge that cut it to 40-38. The Knicks got their first lead of the night on Brunson’s 26-footer as part of a big burst to finish the half. New York led 64-57 at the break.
But the Spurs went back ahead in the third quarter and led 111-104 on Castle’s 3-pointer with 1:53 to play. Castle then closed the scoring with two free throws with 6.8 seconds left after Anunoby’s 3-pointer cut it to two.
The Knicks had piled up massive scoring margins while romping through the Eastern Conference playoffs, then were just good enough in the two games in San Antonio. This time, a horrible start to the fourth quarter put them too far behind.
A star-studded crowd that included Derek Jeter and Eli Manning, champions of New York teams in other sports, was hoping to see the Knicks move closer to a third NBA title. But with Karl-Anthony Towns limited to 11 points and Mikal Bridges saddled with foul trouble, a team that had been so potent in the postseason struggled for long stretches.
Game 4 will be on Wednesday night as the Knicks will be looking to bounce back and try to make it a 3-1 advantage. As for the Spurs, they are hoping to win so that they can tie the series and make sure to get more momentum back to San Antonio for Game 5 which will be on Saturday.
