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Shaquille O’Neal was swept in his first NBA Finals in 1995. Jason Kidd was swept in his first finals in 2002. LeBron James was swept in his first in 2007. It’s not the worst thing in the world if it happens to Victor Wembanyama this year. But he must avenge it.
Two and Oh
Experience gap is showing in this series
Everything was set up for a special Wembanyama moment at the end of Friday’s Game 2. After an unseasonably quiet first half in which the Spurs star was not only passive offensively (just four shot attempts) but also pretty mediocre defensively, Wemby galvanized a fourth-quarter run and a furious comeback attempt against New York.
The Spurs erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth, and Wemby gave the Spurs a two-point lead with an and-1 bucket with less than a minute left. Jalen Brunson then hit yet another ridiculously tough clutch bucket to tie it with 39.3 seconds left. Now the Spurs controlled the game. Go two-for-one. Set yourself up for the last shot in the event of a back-and-forth. It was all there for them. Wemby missed a quick jumper on the left side of the court, but then dodged a bullet with Brunson missing a clutch jumper.
That’s when disaster struck, and that’s when the Spurs’ youth continued to show itself in this series. For months, we’ve wondered if San Antonio could overcome its lack of experience and lack of postseason mileage to win an unprecedented championship. Twice now in these two finals games, that inexperience has reared its head at the roughest times.
In the crucial moment of Game 2, Wemby grabbed the board, started dribbling up the floor and threw the pass ahead to Stephon Castle to try to attack in transition before the Knicks’ defense could set. One little problem with that …
Whoops! I was sitting in the stands along the baseline they were coming toward during that possession. So many people collectively yelled, “No!” when he started throwing the pass and we saw that Castle had turned his back to Wembanyama. It felt like one of those iconic miscues that will be played over and over until Wembanyama and the Spurs win a championship. That was panic or a lack of attention to detail or just a brain fart of epic proportions.
Brunson jumped at the opportunity, got fouled by Wemby and then split one of his two free throws to put the Knicks up one with 7.5 seconds left. That set up one more chance for the Spurs to pull off a split on their home floor. Wemby got another chance to be a hero. Check out his missed attempt, as recorded by Ben Stiller.
The Knicks won, 105-104.
After the game, Wembanyama talked about results mattering more than process. He talked about needing to be more balanced and poised. This is where the Knicks going through the battles and disappointments over the years gives them wisdom and comfort in these tight spots. The Knicks were getting outplayed during the Spurs’ furious run. But New York never panicked.
Remember:
Two years ago, the Knicks were injured and lost Game 7 at home to the Pacers in the second round.
Last year, the Knicks choked away multiple games against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.
This year, the Knicks have the second-longest playoff win streak in history at 13 games and could tie the 2017 Warriors’ streak of 15 straight if they sweep the Spurs.
The Knicks lead 2-0 going back to Madison Square Garden tonight. History is on their side. As we mentioned on Friday, only five teams in finals history have come back from down 2-0 to win the championship. Nobody has done it after dropping the first two games at home. The Spurs are experiencing frustration for the first time with this group, and now they’re facing a history that looks as tall and daunting as Wemby.
These are the steps you go through to figure out how to be a champion. Maybe the Spurs figure it out within the next (possibly) five games. But New York hopes to close the door by Wednesday night.
Playoff Panic Meter: 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 for San Antonio.
Game 3 prediction: Spurs win, I guess? It’s just hard for me to believe this will be a sweep, even though the Knicks should win it all.
When is Game 3? Tonight at 8:30 ET on ABC
The last 24
🏀 New mock. The NBA Draft is a little more than two weeks away. Our Sam Vecenie has all the latest intel on how the first round might go.
🏀 Sharing it. The Knicks have been spraying the ball under Mike Brown. It’s destroying the Spurs’ defense.
🏀 Garden party. For many years, Madison Square Garden has been the mecca of basketball. Now the Knicks are finally the main attraction there.
🏀 Under pressure. Jalen Brunson is as cool as it gets in big moments. It can help you understand your own anxiety.
🎤 Bring the noise. Knicks fan and Public Enemy frontman Chuck D has his own way of highlighting the finals: through his illustrations.
🙏 Rest in peace. Bulls broadcaster and three-time champ Stacey King passed away. He was 59.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
Finals rankings
Who’s on track to be finals MVP?
We’re now two games into the finals, and we’re ranking the top individual performances so far. We’ll do this heading into each remaining game of this series and see if it offers any foresight into who might end up as the finals MVP.
10. Landry Shamet, Knicks: He’s continued his hot shooting, and he seems good for at least three 3-pointers off the bench each game.
9. Castle 📉: He was brutal at times in Game 2, including the back-turn heard ‘round the world. He has to make better decisions in the lane.
8. De’Aaron Fox, Spurs 📈: He hurt his ankle at the end of Game 2 and was hobbling, but he still managed to set Wembanyama up for the game-winning attempt. Big bounce-back from Fox.
7. Mikal Bridges, Knicks 📈: He didn’t have much of a Game 1, but he was incredible in Game 2, scoring 20 points. Just a reminder for the Spurs: If he’s going left, he’s pulling up for a mid-range jumper.
6. Josh Hart, Knicks 📉: He couldn’t replicate his stellar Game 1 performance, but he was still very important in Game 2.
5. Dylan Harper, Spurs: He nearly led the Game 2 comeback. He scored nine of his 15 off the bench in the fourth quarter and played really good defense. They need even more from him at MSG.
4. OG Anunoby, Knicks 📈: He got going in Game 1 and then was steady throughout Game 2, even taking it to the rack to finish over Wemby. His defense has been excellent at times.
3. Brunson 📉: Brunson really hasn’t been very good (by his standards) in this series, aside from the amazing fourth quarter in Game 1. Even in Game 2, he left the door open by missing a jumper and a free throw in the final minute. It feels like he’ll break out of this shooting slump (19-of-56).
2. Wembanyama 📈: Poor shooting Game 1. Nonexistent first half of Game 2. And then Wemby found the dominant level of play we expect to see late. Can he translate that to a Game 3 victory?
1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks: The KAT renaissance has been my favorite part of this finals and postseason run by the Knicks. Towns has been a player consistently ridiculed on the internet. Sometimes it’s fair. Sometimes it’s way off and out of bounds. But KAT has been one of the most talented players in the NBA for a long time. Through two finals games, he’s outplayed everybody, even if his numbers aren’t overwhelming.
Brunson has had the clutch moments, but Towns has gotten the Knicks there. Going into Game 3, he should be the finals MVP favorite.
Extreme fandom
Knicks fans really love this team
It was stunning to see Knicks fans take over big swaths of the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio during Game 2, and now New York City is in a fever for its beloved team. On the internet, we’ve seen some of the Knicks fans’ fervor be lauded and celebrated. We’ve also seen it called obnoxious and annoying.
In San Antonio, there seemed to be an influx of Knicks fans into the city following the Game 1 victory. Because tickets at MSG have skyrocketed, it makes sense that a flight, hotel for a couple of nights and secondary market tickets to the San Antonio games would be a much better deal than trying to cobble together over $10,000 to see the Knicks play at home.
During Game 2, I could see big patches of Knicks fans, often trying to start a “Let’s go Knicks!” chant, only to be drowned out seconds later by Spurs supporters. But it was as much of a battle as the action on the court. When Wembanyama’s final jumper clanged off the back iron, there was an odd roar in the arena. That was the Knicks fans celebrating. They moved down to the lower bowl after the game and crowded around sets for TV shows. They were loud. So loud that as we sat in the postgame interview area, we could hear them cheering at a level that made us wonder if they’d migrated somehow into the bowels of the arena.
I walked by Fat Joe celebrating with every Knicks person he could find. He accosted Walt Frazier as he was doing an interview in the walkways to the locker rooms. Ben Stiller dipped into Mike Brown’s news conference to take a picture of him. And all across the internet, videos were being shared of massive Knicks watch parties. There was even footage of people recording out of their windows to hear the roars from the streets.
The Knicks could win the title sometime this week, maybe even sweeping their way to it. The city is going to lose its excrement if that happens. It will make that awesome 2016 celebration by Cavs fans in Cleveland look like a small book club gathering. Is it annoying? Or is this what fandom is supposed to be? Forget the online chatter that’s there to bait reaction. I find it refreshing to see the unbridled joy, and I can be about as cynical as it gets.
Maybe it’s experiencing it with zero skin in the game and just enjoying the circus around me. Regardless, it’s been cool to see Knicks fans check their shame at the door and let their hearts experience it full bore. It feels like the NBA’s version of international soccer fandom. These fans still have a long way to go before the Knicks give them the first NBA title since 1973, but this is what it’s supposed to be like.
