NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA Finals are back in New York and the hype is unavoidable.
The Knicks are two wins from their first championship since 1973 and it seems everyone in the city wants the chance to see it. Even President Donald Trump will be on hand Monday night at Madison Square Garden for Game 3, along with fans who will pay exorbitant prices and endure lengthy lines to get in.
It feels like more of a major event than any basketball game, and Victor
Wembanyama was asked if the chaos could be a distraction for his San Antonio Spurs.
“Not really,” he said. “I think it could be, but isolating myself is something I’ve practiced over the years. I think I’m good at it. So it’s not a problem.”
The Spurs have a big enough problem with their 2-0 deficit.
No team has recovered to win the championship after losing the first two games of the NBA Finals at home, and no team in the 80-year history of the league has won any series after falling behind 3-0. So the Spurs need to win Monday.
They had good chances in both games at home. San Antonio led by 14 points midway through the third quarter of Game 1, then erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead in the final minute of Game 2 before the Knicks rallied for a 105-104 victory.
That was New York's 13th consecutive victory, the second-longest winning streak in postseason history.
Back at home, even the Knicks don't know quite what to expect of the atmosphere for the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999. But they know what to expect from the Spurs.
“I mean, their best,” center Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Every single game you expect their best. That’s how you don’t get caught in a way lacking. You go out there and you expect their best, so you want to bring your best. This is the NBA Finals. There’s no time to take any game easy or to take any game lightly.”
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