SAN ANTONIO – A few notes after the Knicks’ win over the Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals…
KAT-A-LYST
Victor Wembanyama didn’t leave the court on Wednesday with any overt concerns about himself or his team.
“I’m not worried (in) the slightest,” he said after the Knicks’ come-from-behind win in Game 1.
It almost sounded like Wembanyama was downplaying the impact of the Knicks’ defense in Game 1.
Karl-Anthony Towns and New York forced Wembanyama into tough shots all night, as he finished 6-for-21 with six turnovers.
He shot just 2-for-12 when defended by Towns.
But Wembanyama didn’t leave the arena worried about the Spurs’ chances in the series.
“It’s almost like I have to play normal, not even good. It’s just like doing the right things is enough,” he said. “When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better.”
Towns got the better of Wembanyama on both ends of the floor in Game 1.
He had 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one block through three quarters. His play in the third quarter helped New York rebound from a double-digit deficit. Of course, Jalen Brunson took over from there, with 13 points in the final 7:30 of regulation to lift New York to an upset in Game 1.
But the Knicks aren’t in position to win the game without Towns.
“Honestly with KAT, I feel like when he’s locked in he’s not just doing the scoring, doing the assisting but he’s setting the pick (on the pick) and roll and he’s diving hard and then defensively he’s bringing a physical presence,” Miles McBride said after Game 1.
“What he did for us was not just guard him at a high level but he kept him from getting those second chance opportunities which I think is something Wemby does phenomenal. I feel like that’s huge. Taking away a first shot is big but to take away that second one was big for us.”
JALEN DOES IT AGAIN
Brunson was 7-for-22 through the first three quarters of Game 1, but as is usually the case, he was at his best in the fourth.
He scored eight unanswered points midway through the quarter and then hit a three-pointer off of his own tip rebound and a tough jump shot to help put the Spurs away.
He did all of this after leaving the game for a long stretch due to an apparent leg injury.
“He’s a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that’s what MVPs are supposed to do,” Mike Brown said. “We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him. And he got it done for us, and that’s happened time after time after time. He got to his spots and he made plays.”
MITCH BACK ON THE FLOOR
Less than 10 days after having surgery to repair a broken fifth metacarpal in his right hand, Mitchell Robinson was on the floor and impacting the game against San Antonio.
He had six rebounds in 13 minutes and helped create quality shots for his teammates simply by being on the floor.
“He was still a vertical threat,” Brown said of Robinson. “If you don’t pull in to tag him, it’s a dunk, and when he rolls like he rolls and creates that weak side to pull in, our guys have to spray the basketball. So it’s one of the two: You throw it up, just kind of what have they do with Wembanyama. You throw it to Wembanyama or you throw it up to Mitch, and if the small pulls in and tags those guys, you’ve got to find the skip pass. And then defensively, I thought he was pretty good, defensively, as well, trying to rebound, keeping those guys off the glass.”
Robinson didn’t want to discuss what happened to his hand, which was not broken during a game or practice. It was a non-basketball injury.
But Robinson said he was never concerned about possibly missing Game 1.
“I’ve been here for eight years. There was no way I was going to miss this,” he said.
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