As the NBA Finals head to New York for Game 3 on Monday at the iconic Madison Square Garden, the Knicks hold a decisive 2-0 lead in the series. Few could have anticipated the Knicks winning both games in San Antonio, especially against a Spurs team that had just eliminated last year’s champions on their home turf in a grueling seven-game series.
If you’re surprised, you’re not alone. No one with an objective viewpoint expected the Knicks to dominate the first two games in this manner. Of course, Knicks fans are an exception—they’re riding high on a historic winning streak that seems poised to finally end their team’s long championship drought. It’s a cause for celebration, indeed. Given how unforeseen these developments have been, it’s the perfect moment to embrace some bold reactions.
Knicks are a team of destiny
This situation might not be an overreaction but rather the extraordinary reality we’re experiencing. Whether you attribute it to fate, the Basketball Gods, or sheer coincidence, the Knicks are on an incredible run that defies expectations. They’ve won 13 consecutive games, their last loss dating back to April 23—45 days ago. They boast the highest offensive and defensive ratings in the playoffs. If anyone claims to have predicted this, they’re likely stretching the truth.
The Knicks were a solid team during the regular season—not outstanding, but competent. They clinched the NBA Cup, yet suffered a rough patch starting New Year’s Eve, losing nine out of 11 games. This slump was severe enough to spark rumors of the Knicks considering a trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns to lure Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Bucks at the trade deadline. The team regained its footing as the season progressed toward the playoffs, but even then, they only managed an even record against teams with a .500 record or better, the weakest among the top seeds in both conferences.
Despite regular-season struggles against strong teams, the Knicks have dominated their playoff opponents. Their commanding finals lead is even more impressive considering Jalen Brunson’s shooting woes, hitting just 33.9% from the field and 23.5% from beyond the arc in the first two games.
“I think it’s our destiny now, the way things have unfolded for the Knicks,” Walt “Clyde” Frazier shared with Yahoo Sports after Game 2. “Every game showcases our grit, resilience, and resourcefulness. I don’t see it ending because we’ve got 10 players thriving. In Game 2, Jalen (Brunson) was off his game, and yet someone else stepped up. It’s been like that throughout.”
It has been that way for well over a month. The stars have aligned.
Karl-Anthony Towns finally got to shine in Game 1 of the NBA Finals — and take on Victor Wembanyama
John Gonzalez
Karl-Anthony Towns will be Finals MVP
KAT was excellent in Game 1, and he followed that up with another big performance in Game 2. One of the pressing questions coming into this series was how he would fare against Victor Wembanyama. In the Western Conference Finals, Wemby dismantled Chet Holmgren at both ends of the floor. Unlike Holmgren, who finished second behind Wembanyama in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, Towns has not exactly been known as a plus defender. He has, however, played better at that end of the floor this season, and especially in the playoffs. And also unlike Homgren, Towns seemed to welcome the assignment of being the primary defender on Wemby. Sure, Wembanyama put up much better numbers in the second half of Game 2, but Towns has been more than up to the challenge of guarding him.
And while Brunson has struggled offensively (with the exception of the fourth quarter in Game 1), Towns is averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 55.6/42.9/100 shooting splits. To hear De’Aaron Fox tell it, the Spurs have been powerless to slow him down despite having the first unanimous DPOY in NBA history.
“Obviously, having somebody like KAT is a difficult cover,” Fox said after Game 2. “That’s what everybody tries to do, is to pull Vic away from the basket.”
At halftime of Game 2, KAT’s MVP odds on FanDuel were +600. Midway through the third quarter, they had dropped to +350. As of Sunday morning, that number had plummeted to +165. Brunson is still the favorite at +115, but with how the Spurs have guarded him and how Towns has played so far, it should be KAT.
Wemby’s back-to-back mistakes lost the series for San Antonio
Wembanyama was a big reason why the Spurs clawed their way back from down 14 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to tie the proceedings. Then he was the reason they lost the game and will ultimately lose the series.
After grabbing a rebound and heading up the floor, he threw an inadvisable pass to Stephon Castle, who wasn’t ready for it because he never saw it coming. The ball bounced off Castle’s back for a turnover. That was the first crucial mistake. The second happened in the immediate aftermath, when Wemby fouled Brunson and sent him to the line for what turned out to be the game-winning free-throw.
“I threw that one away. I messed up,” Wembanyama said. “We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it’s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
No team in NBA history has lost the first two games of the finals on its floor and then recovered to win the title. Wembanyama will think about how that went sideways for a long time.
Actually, no, Wemby’s last shot in Game 2 wasn’t great
The only reason Wembanyama and the Spurs even had the opportunity for a game-winning shot was because Brunson missed one of his two free throws after being fouled. But instead of getting something closer to the rim, Wemby once again settled for a mid-range jumper.
Was it a great shot? No. It was something closer to fine or just OK — which raises the question of whether there was a better shot to be had when the Spurs were in dire need of him making it and tying the series. Instead, they’re down 2-0 with history indicating that they’re cooked.
When asked, Wembanyama said, “Of course I liked the shot,” but conceded that “in moments like this, results matter more than process. We just need to score, I need to score.” Spoiler: he did not score. Like Wemby, Fox also liked the shot: “He makes that shot nine times out of ten, so I think we had a great possession.”
Not to go full Kenny Atkinson here, but what they thought could or should have happened in the hypothetical projection universe did not unfold here in the real world, where the Larry O’Brien Trophy’s next owners are being determined. But while we’re on numbers and projections of whether that was a good shot for Wembanya to take, we ought to look at the actual data.
Victor Wembanyama by shot area this postseason
| 106/168 | 63% | |
| 9/36 | 25% | |
| 34/96 | 35% |
That 25% on mid-range shots is the worst in a postseason in the last eight years (minimum 35 attempts). The numbers would suggest that Wemby settling for a mid-range jumper with the Spurs season on the line is the last thing Mitch Johnson should have drawn up. At the very least, it seems like Fox was a wee bit off with his back-of-the-cocktail-napkin math on how often Wembanyama hits that shot.
The Spurs’ young guards are already more valuable than Fox
In fairness to Fox, he was infinitely better in Game 2 than in Game 1. That’s a low bar given how bad he was in the first game, and even though he played well in the second outing, the Spurs still lost both at home.
When the Spurs traded for Fox last season, the idea was to pair Wembanyama with a proven point guard and All-Star who could accelerate the team’s growth. A little more than a year later, it increasingly feels as though that was an unnecessary move. The Spurs didn’t give up a ton to acquire Fox, and the organization couldn’t have known that Castle would take a massive leap forward this season. They also didn’t know they would land the second overall pick in last summer’s draft, or that the pick would turn into Dylan Harper, who is way ahead of the curve and somehow playing his best basketball in the playoffs at only 20 years old when guys his age with so little experience have no right to do any such thing.
Why it’s time for the Spurs to start Dylan Harper over De’Aaron Fox
Sam Quinn
Fox remains a quality ball handler, and when he’s on the floor, that’s gone a long way to reducing the pressure on Castle, who has been a turnover machine in the postseason without the vet by his side. But Fox never fit neatly into the same timeline as the Spurs’ core trio. He’ll be 29 in December. Castle and Harper aren’t just younger, they’re also bigger, stronger and more physical. Cheaper, too. Fox signed a four-year, $221 million contract with the Spurs that kicks in next season. In retrospect, the Spurs could have gotten away without trading for Fox, and at this point, they’d be thrilled if they also didn’t have to pay him. That’s not so much a knock against Fox as it is a testament to Castle and Harper being this good, this soon.
It’s not going back to San Antonio
Who thinks this series is already over? You can put your hands up now.
