With a 2-0 in the series, the New York Knicks are set to play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at 8:30. today.
The Knicks have been flying around the court, shutting down the Spurs players on defense and blowing past the Spurs on offense as well.
In Game 2, the Knicks had three players with 20 points or above, including Jalen Brunson (20), Mikal Bridges (20), and Karl Anthony-Towns (21). OG Anunoby also added 17 points.
The only issue for the Knicks in the past two games was Josh Hart, who did not score in 18 minutes. But he is there for defense and hustle, so this does not hurt the team as badly as it looks.
The keys to the Knicks’ game are simple: They are just getting way more shots up. In the last game, the Spurs shot 11 fewer field goals and nine fewer three-pointers.
The Spurs did well in Game 2 in terms of putting up points, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 29 points, De’Aaron Fox getting 20, and Dylan Harper adding 15. Devin Vassel and Stephon Castles added 14 points each.
But despite Carter Bryant’s dominant performance in the conference finals, he only played three minutes in Game 2.
Even though the Spurs only lost by one point in Game 2, they do not seem to be working as a team as they did in the conference finals. So the key for the Spurs should be to limit turnovers and get on the same page quickly.
But the Knicks will take the third game tonight because they are all on the same page together and can react with each other. They are also playing dominantly.
If San Antonio loses tonight, they will statistically have no chance at winning. No team has ever come back down 3-0 in the NBA Finals, and the Spurs will not be the team to change that.
