It’s almost hard to remember this feeling.
The Knicks faltered for the first time since April 23 on Monday night. Forty-five days of euphoria across New York City, as the Knicks rode a remarkable 13-game winning streak.
But there would be no 46th day.
It’s been such a long time since the Knicks had a hiccup. Since they fell to an early deficit that they couldn’t overcome. Since they had to experience disappointment.
Since any sort of doubt has crept in, even if ever so slightly.
Madison Square was an event even more exclusive than the Met Gala. The celebrity list – including president Trump – was so long it was almost comical. It had the potential to be a party the likes of which the arena and city has rarely ever seen.
But the Spurs came in and spoiled the fun. The Garden Party will have to wait until at least two more days, as the Knicks fell 115-111 Monday night and saw their Finals lead cut to 2-1. The road team has so far won all three games of the series.
Jalen Brunson’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to three points with 33.7 seconds left. The possibility for more late-game magic was there.
But De’Aaron Fox responded with a bucket to put the Spurs back up five. OG Anunoby’s subsequent 3-pointer made it a two-point deficit with 9.4 seconds left, but Stephon Castle, after the Knicks fouled him, hit both free throws to restore a two-possession Spurs lead.
In truth, the Knicks deserved to lose. They outscored the Spurs by 18 in a record-breaking second quarter (their 42 points were the most they’ve ever scored in a quarter in the Finals), but across the other three quarters were outscored by 22 points.
Victor Wembanyama finally had his Finals coming out party. He had 32 points along with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks.
He finished off a few alley-oops in which he used his 7-foot-4 frame and simply skied over Knicks defenders. He clearly made it a point to operate in the paint more than he had in the first two games of the series, and it worked.
Brunson got almost no help in the fourth quarter outside of Anunoby – they had a combined 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting in the period, but their teammates combined to go 1-for-16. Brunson finished with 32 points on 11-for-25 shooting.
The Spurs were incredibly physical with him. They took a couple of blatant cheap shots – Wembanyama got away with shoving Brunson by his head in the first quarter. Later in the first half, Carter Bryant and Stephon Castle both lined him up and trucked him while going for rebounds.
And they actually appeared to get under Brunson’s skin. He was more visibly angry than he almost ever is. After Wembanyama’s shove, Brunson got in his face and jawed at him while the play was still going on.
It felt like Brunson was forcing it a bit on the offensive end, resulting in some of his supporting cast being uninvolved. He got into foul trouble himself. He committed five turnovers.
Karl-Anthony Towns, after his magnificent first two games of the series, had just 11 points and did not score in the fourth quarter. Mikal Bridges was invisible, offensively at least, with just two points on 1-for-5 shooting. He did not score his first – and only – points until the very end of the third quarter.
Anunoby was the only non-Brunson scorer who made a real impact, chipping in 28 points.
The Knicks were shredded defensively on the perimeter – a big reason Castle had by far his best game of the series with 23 points. They committed 13 turnovers, a bunch of which were unforced.
For so long, it felt like the Knicks simply forgot how to lose. For so long, it felt like nights like this might never happen again.
But now, we have a series. Now, we wait and see how these Knicks respond.
