The New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals, taking on the San Antonio Spurs for the first time in 27 years.
With the game inching closer, we spoke with Pounding the Rock contributor Mateo Mayorga to learn more about the Spurs’ current state of affairs going into the matchup.
The Spurs had a tough seven-game series against the Thunder before reaching the Finals. What was the biggest takeaway from the Western Conference Finals?
Stephon Castle’s issue is turnovers, and the offense makes fewer mistakes with him being the secondary playmaker, next to De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper. I like Harper more in the lineup with the starters because the defensive
ceiling is higher, in part because he’s bigger and stronger.
Who is the Spurs’ X-Factor?
Devin Vassell is their unsung hero. He got a good chunk of the minutes guarding Chet Holmgren in the Western Conference Finals, while making 39.6 percent of 3-pointers (7.6 attempts). He rarely turned the ball over as well. He’s as good as gets for a release valve because he can put the ball on the deck, too.
Does the NBA Cup Final have any weight on this series or is it a new slate?
Not much, so it’s a new slate. The Knicks have been playing differently in the playoffs, and one of the features is using Karl-Anthony Towns more as a playmaker for his teammates, with him more than doubling his playoff assists average. On top of that, Mikal Bridges has been on a heater in his last 11 games, putting more pressure on defenses with his transition work and off-ball movement. The Knicks are much mightier than they were during the Cup.
If the Spurs were to lose Game 1, what would be the reason why?
I could see it happening mainly because Wemby didn’t play enough minutes. There’s also Wemby wanting to sag off to play help defense at the expense of the 3-point line, or if they have a poor defensive game, not being able to stop fouling penetration. This is certain: Towns will make him work harder than Isaiah Hartenstein, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Clingan. Aside, as the playoffs go deeper, coverages get tighter, and those have affected Fox the most because he’s a leaner guy, and he’s probably still feeling a bit of the ankle injury that caused him to miss two games in the WCF.
What’s your prediction for Game 1?
Spurs take first blood. Either Julian Champagnie or Keldon Johnson provide the heavy lifting at a critical time, Knicks offense is forced to come back to earth and San Antonio takes control of the boards.
