Sometime around the end of the second quarter was the first time I thought that the San Antonio Spurs could not win Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Knicks had ended the half up 4 after being down as much as 12 to the Spurs. Stephon Castle had been taken off the court in the middle of the second quarter after three dumb fouls. The 3s had stopped falling and Victor Wembanyama, who tends to dictate the direction any Spurs game goes in, had been completely timid on offense, barely even touching the ball. And with all that, I commend the Spurs for the way they fought in the second half, at one point they were also down as much as 14 to the Knicks and they clawed their way back to leading by two points. And then with the game tied and less than 30 seconds left, they just absolutely barfed it.
It's too simplistic to say this series comes down to a team of grownups that have been with each other for a long time versus a bunch of kids who have unreal talent but maybe not enough cohesion or team IQ. But it is evident over two games that the Spurs have not found an answer to the pressure the Knicks put on you for four straight quarters. Wembanyama has shown spurts of brilliance but looks worn out on the court, almost to the point of parody. Like he should be on the front of a box of Sleepytime Tea.
But I get it, it looks exhausting out there. Both game 1 and 2 were very intense battles throughout all four quarters. The refs were somehow both heightening the tension and violence on court as well as trying to stifle it from getting off the rails. Karl Anthony Towns is the bully on the block I kinda wish Victor could be for the Spurs. Stephon Castle is like a gnat all over whoever he's covering. Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox willed the Spurs back into the game when the rest of their team looked beat. Jalen Brunson hasn't really had a great game yet, he's getting pressured too much every play to go off. And yet, he still sealed the win for the Knicks.
Everyone is dealing with pressure, but the Knicks have at least shown an ability to handle it better. Maybe years of failure has formed enough scar tissue to make them tougher. In this 13-game win streak, the Knicks do not flinch, they do not take quarters or games off, they don't even seem to get tired really. They understand some things that the Spurs are still figuring out on the fly. San Antonio earned their spot by running down the best of the Western Conference, but it only takes one youthful mistake—like a bad pass at an inopportune moment—to completely unravel everything.
Of course a series can always change. And if the on-court tension was not enough, the series coming back to New York will likely introduce a whole variety of chaos. Maybe Bing-Bong fever will prove to be too much for the city. Maybe Trump showing up to Madison Square Garden will place enough voodoo on the Knicks to help the Spurs turn things around. At this point they could use any help they can get.
