Through two games, the New York Knicks have been clearly the better team in the NBA Finals. They have the best player in the series so far in Karl-Anthony Towns, the most clutch player in Jalen Brunson, and they have been the better defensive team.
Now those Knicks — winners of 13 playoff games in a row — head home to what will be a frenzied Madison Square Garden and home fans desperate for the team’s first title in 53 years — even President Donald Trump will be in attendance.
“The Garden is going to be rocking,” Josh Hart said of the atmosphere. “Obviously, in this city, we love our Knicks. So we’re going to come out, show love, support. The energy is going to be electric.”
What do the Spurs need to do to turn this series around and stop it from becoming a Knicks coronation?
“Resilience,” De’Aaron Fox said. “Obviously, losing two games at home is never ideal, but we have to be able to let those two games go and look forward, look ahead toward the game that’s in front of us.”
The Spurs need a few other things, too.
More De’Aaron Fox
While the Knicks have knocked the entire Spurs offense off balance, San Antonio has looked better with Fox running the show and less Stephon Castle. While Castle is an impressive young player, he has struggled in the Finals to finish at the rim or in the paint and has committed some sloppy turnovers. Take a look at his shot chart.
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Fox isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire — 44% shooting overall and 33% from 3-point range the past two games — but the Spurs are +2 in his minutes through two games and -15 in Castle’s minutes. Coach Mitch Johnson needs to lean more on the Fox-Dylan Harper backcourt.
Finish possessions
San Antonio’s defense has done its job and held the Knicks in check — New York has a 106.6 offensive rating through two games, which is almost 10 below their regular season average and more than 20 below their playoff average coming into this series. Or, look at it this way, 106.6 would have been the worst offense in the league during the regular season by more than two points per 100 possessions.
However, the Spurs are even worse with a 101 offensive rating. What has happened to San Antonio’s offense in this series?
“I think that’s probably been, if there’s a thematic thing, the biggest thing is we’ve put in some good, hard work at times, and have not taken advantage of that hard work,” Johnson said. “That’s been partially some undisciplined things of us, partially also New York has stepped up and made some plays at the end of the clock and finished out possessions.”
Victor Wembanyama echoed that point.
“We need to capitalize, actually use all the efforts we did,” Wembanyama said. “It felt like we did a lot, we did a lot of things wrong, but we also were relentless and kept pushing, but kind of like wasted that effort. Even though I know it’s not wasted because our lessons are learned, I know we’re not going to make the mistakes of the past again, but in a moment like this we need to make these things matter.”
Jalen Brunson in the clutch
While the Spurs have struggled at the end of games and possessions, that’s where the Knicks have thrived, with a composure they have earned the past couple of seasons.
“Us staying composed helped us win that game,” Jalen Brunson said about Game 2. “We do need to be able to finish the game better. Unacceptable the way we just obviously just let that 14-point lead go the way we did.”
One of the things San Antonio has done well in these Finals is make things difficult for Brunson, who is shooting just 33.9% through two games. But while Brunson has struggled overall in the Finals against the Spurs’ defense, when it’s gotten into crunch time, he has finished plays.
“I mean, you watch him, he has some of the best footwork in the game. Obviously, he’s a tough shot-maker. He can really shoot the ball. He’s strong,” Fox said of Brunson. “Talk about his size, yeah, he’s not tall, but he’s strong and he knows how to get to his spots. He plays angles well.
“But we’ve done, I think, a good job on him through the course of the game, but he’s made big shots. He’s been a Clutch Player of the Year, obviously. Probably the biggest reason why they’re here. But we have to continue to try to make it tough on him, and I think we’re doing a pretty good job at that. He’s played well despite that.”
If the Spurs are going to give themselves a chance in this series, they need to be the clutch team — and find a way to limit Brunson in those moments.
That’s a big ask for a game in Madison Square Garden.
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