SAN ANTONIO — Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t hesitate, his stare pierced through shades covering his eyes after the Knicks completed yet another miraculous comeback, their second consecutive Game 1 rally of the playoffs. Only weeks earlier, the Knicks found themselves in far-too familiar territory, down 22 points in the Eastern Conference finals opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks turned the game — and the series — in a massive 44-11 run that ushered in a four-game sweep of the Cavs and punched the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
And now, they’ve done the same thing to the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs. The same Spurs who won 62 games, dethroned the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder and represented the toughest challenge these Knicks would face this entire playoff run. The Knicks were down 14 with 6:31 left in the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday. They responded with a 25-11 run and defeated the Spurs, 105-95, to steal home-court advantage and take a 1-0 series lead, moving just three wins shy of the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
Yet this is what the Knicks expected — both the result and the fashion of victory. They are the NBA’s comeback kids, grave-digging basketball undertakers who never die, never lay down, never falter in the face of adversity.
Just like the borough stitched across the front of the jerseys. And now, both these players and this city — New York City — are three wins shy of being immortalized in basketball history.
“It’s something in the city. You feel that energy in the city; the grit, the grind, the hard work you’ve got to put in to make in the city,” Towns said. “I think we reflect all our fans and lifestyles and what it takes to make it in New York City when we step on the court with a Knicks jersey.”
And now, they’ve done the same thing to the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs. The same Spurs who won 62 games, dethroned the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder and represented the toughest challenge these Knicks would face this entire playoff run. The Knicks were down 14 with 6:31 left in the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday. They responded with a 25-11 run and defeated the Spurs, 105-95, to steal home-court advantage and take a 1-0 series lead, moving just three wins shy of the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
Yet this is what the Knicks expected — both the result and the fashion of victory. They are the NBA’s comeback kids, grave-digging basketball undertakers who never die, never lay down, never falter in the face of adversity.
Just like the borough stitched across the front of the jerseys. And now, both these players and this city — New York City — are three wins shy of being immortalized in basketball history.
“It’s something in the city. You feel that energy in the city; the grit, the grind, the hard work you’ve got to put in to make in the city,” Towns said. “I think we reflect all our fans and lifestyles and what it takes to make it in New York City when we step on the court with a Knicks jersey.”
20 days ago
