The Finals — The Fourth Game
David had already beaten Goliath twice, so naturally, Goliath sought his revenge. Even though the officiating was absurd and unfair, the Knicks lost Game 3 because they turned the ball over too many times, struggled offensively, and could not dictate the pace of play.
Here is what will not happen tonight: Jalen Brunson clocking four fouls by the middle of the third quarter. The NBA officiating crew might be cruel, but they cannot distribute fouls so unevenly that the Knicks’ star player gets that many, plus a flagrant, so early in the game.
Also, the Knicks will not face a 24-8 free-throw deficit in tonight’s second half. Despite excessive foul trouble, the Knicks forced Game 3 to be a two-possession game, meaning that 17 points off turnovers instead of 21 could have made all the difference. The Knicks can definitely clean that up.
“We have to play to what our concepts are or play to what our strengths are,” said head coach Mike Brown. “It’s been pace, it’s been space, it’s been getting the ball reversed, it’s been touching the paint, and more importantly, it’s been making quick decisions. There were a lot of times where the decisions weren’t made quickly [in Game 3].”
Although Brown complained to the media about how Game 3 was officiated, his players refused to blame it for their loss. In addition to turnovers, they blamed a 12-point first-quarter deficit. The Spurs are the best first-quarter team in the NBA this postseason, averaging a 4.5-point margin over opponents.
“We’ll have to figure it out because in every game we’ve played here in the Finals, we’ve put ourselves in a position where we have to start fighting immediately,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Every time we find a way to get back into the game, but we can’t trust that result is going to happen every single time. The Spurs have done a great job starting in the game, dictating the pace, and dictating how the game is going.”
Hopefully, the Knicks have shaken off the nerves that accompanied the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden in 27 years. The last time they lost a playoff game, they responded by elevating their game to an unseen level, resulting in a 13-game win streak and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Was Victor Wembanyama aggressive in Game 3? Yes. Was he overly aggressive? Only because the fouls weren’t called evenly. To combat Wemby, expect the Knicks to make Towns their offensive hub tonight. This will help activate Mikal Bridges, who took just five shots on Wednesday, by giving him more lanes to the basket.
Another reason the Knicks will likely run their offense through Towns is that he has yet to score a point in the fourth quarter of any game this series. He has only taken six fourth-quarter shots in 30 minutes this series, and if the Knicks get him more involved late in games, it could be the series’ ultimate difference-maker.
“The details that made us special, we were too relaxed in them, and we didn’t execute them at the level that you guys are used to seeing,” Towns said of why the Knicks lost Game 3. “So, doing that and also the fundamentals of what our team is and how we play, we didn’t do that for 48 minutes. […] Playing around with the game against a great team, you’re asking for disaster, and that’s what we got.”
Yesterday, the NBA decided that Wembanyama’s aggressive push of Brunson from his neck to the deck was not a flagrant foul. This decision was not surprising since the implications of Wembanyama receiving a second flagrant foul in these playoffs could have involved a suspension.
However, Wemby arguably committed at least three flagrant violations, including a reckless closeout, and none of them were called. Stephon Castle committed a flagrant-caliber violation as well. Brunson, meanwhile, was called for a flagrant on a reckless closeout that he clearly never intended.
Ultimately, no matter how tonight’s game gets called, the Knicks understand that returning to San Antonio tied 2-2 is not an option. They simply cannot afford to permit the Spurs to rob them of momentum.
The Garden is their house. The Mecca is home.
And the Knicks must defend home court.
Game Information
Teams: New York Knicks (RS: 53-29, 30-10 Home) vs. San Antonio Spurs (RS: 62-20, 29-12 Away)
Time: 8:30 PM
Networks: ABC, ESPN App (Pregame and Postgame on MSG, Gotham Sports)
Venue: Madison Square Garden — 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001
Monday Line: NYK -2.5 (ESPN Bet)
