The New York Knicks are up 2-0. They say they’re unfazed.
The San Antonio Spurs are down 0-2. They say they’re unfazed.
Such is the state of things in the where both teams were taking a travel day on Saturday. Practices resume Sunday and Game 3 of the title series is Monday night at Madison Square Garden, where will be watching alongside fans who are willing to pay nearly $10,000 for seats so far from the court that 7-foot-4 Spurs center will look tiny.
The Knicks insist they’re not celebrating yet. The Spurs insist they’re not defeated yet.
鈥淓very single day, we chip away and try to be the best that we can be. … Even with the series it is now, next game, mindset has to be 0-0 again,鈥� said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the late-game hero in both the and wins that New York got in San Antonio to take an absolute stranglehold on the series. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just how it has to be. You can鈥檛 be comfortable. You can鈥檛 be satisfied with anything. Just got to continue to push forward.鈥�
That’s all they’ve done for a month and a half now.
They’ve won 13 consecutive games, the second-longest single-season playoff run in NBA history behind only a 15-game winning streak by Golden State in the 2017 postseason. They have a chance to be the first team in NBA history to make it through the last three rounds of the playoffs 鈥� the conference semifinals, conference final and NBA Finals 鈥� unbeaten.
鈥淥ne of the things that we preach is being present,鈥� Knicks coach Mike Brown said. 鈥淚n order to be present, you can鈥檛 think about the past, you can鈥檛 think about the future. For all of us as humans, that鈥檚 hard as heck to do. I constantly, boom, flick myself in the head, tell myself, 鈥楤e present, be present, be present.鈥� I obviously mention it to the group, too. With those guys being who they are, they鈥檝e really embraced it, and they鈥檙e really trying to live it every single moment during this run.鈥�
They don’t get rattled, even on this stage. Counting the NBA Cup final, which isn’t recognized in standings or official league stats, the Knicks are 4-1 against the Spurs this season. The four wins by New York all have something in common: the Knicks trailed by double digits in each of those games.
鈥� Cup final in Vegas, the Spurs led by 11 (and lost by 11).
鈥� Regular-season game at MSG, the Spurs led by 12 (and lost by 25).
鈥� Game 1 of the finals, the Spurs led by 14 (and lost by 10).
鈥� Game 2 of the finals, the Spurs led by 12 (and lost by one).
鈥淲e just need to figure it out,鈥� Wembanyama said. 鈥淲e need to keep working on it.鈥�
The only Spurs win over New York was the regular-season game at home, where they won by two after trailing by 19 and never leading by more than six.
Go figure.
鈥淚t was going to take everything to win the series anyway,鈥� Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. 鈥淧utting ourselves in this type of predicament is going to be tough, but I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 anything we can鈥檛 handle.鈥�
The Knicks have an idea of what’s coming on Monday.
The Garden will be shaking to its core, since people who spent the kind of money that they’re spending to come see a basketball game likely won’t decide to sit quietly in their seats. The energy in the city will be beyond compare, with a 53-year wait for another NBA championship now just two games away and oddsmakers 鈥� who have the Knicks at -550 to win the series 鈥� basically saying it’s inevitable. And the Spurs will come out throwing whatever punches they have left to throw.
鈥淜nowing them, there鈥檚 going to be another level,鈥� Brunson said. 鈥淲e have to be prepared and be ready to match it and play for 48 minutes. No matter what goes on in the game, we have to have each other鈥檚 back, what鈥檚 going on, who is on a run, what鈥檚 not, who is up, who is down, making sure we are playing together for 48 minutes is really important.鈥�
If the Knicks could use a cautionary tale, they need look no further than Mikal Bridges. He was with Phoenix when the Suns took a 2-0 lead in the 2021 finals against Milwaukee. The Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo won that series in six games. It’s a different situation now 鈥� those two Suns wins were in Phoenix, not on the road 鈥� but it is a reminder that two wins aren’t enough.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still 0-0 as far as we鈥檙e concerned,鈥� Knicks forward Josh Hart said. 鈥淏eing up 2-0 means really nothing. This (San Antonio) team is going to come out on Monday with an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation, and we鈥檝e got to be better.鈥�
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