The New York Knicks had little reason to feel confident during the closing minutes of Friday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio.
However, after watching a comfortable 14-point advantage slip away, the Knicks managed to escape with a narrow 105-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs when the final horn sounded.
The victory gives New York a substantial 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven championship series, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday.
A weary Jalen Brunson supported himself against his teammates following the victory, managing only a tired grin. His crucial steal with 9.5 seconds remaining and the ensuing free throw became the game-winning sequence in a physical battle where persistence ultimately triumphed.
“We could have folded a few times, but our guys just kept fighting,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “They kept fighting, and you work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these.
“No matter what run (San Antonio) went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another. It’s an amazing feeling as a coach to know how mentally tough your team is no matter what the situation is in front of them.”
Brunson opened the game by netting New York’s initial five points but then struggled offensively, reaching the fourth quarter with only 13 points while shooting 4-of-16 from the field.
San Antonio forced the Knicks’ star point guard to battle for every opportunity, leaving him physically drained and collapsing onto the bench during New York timeouts in the final minutes as he searched for energy to push his team across the finish line.
“We have to do a good job of staying composed in those situations,” said Brunson, who ended with 20 points and just as many bruises. “Not (folding) in situations like that is key to winning games like this. At this stage of the season, things aren’t going to be pretty. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be grinded out. It’s simple as that.”
The path to victory proved challenging. San Antonio trailed 97-83 with 6:04 remaining before unleashing a 14-0 run that culminated with Dylan Harper’s floater knotting the score at 2:59.
The Spurs grabbed their first lead at 104-102 when Victor Wembanyama completed a three-point play with 57.3 seconds on the clock. Brunson answered immediately, sinking a fadeaway jumper with 39.3 seconds left to tie the contest.
After Brunson’s missed jumper with 13.5 seconds remaining, Wembanyama secured the rebound. The Spurs center attempted to find Stephon Castle with a pass, but Castle wasn’t prepared, and the ball deflected off his back directly to Brunson. Wembanyama’s subsequent foul on Brunson created the opportunity for the decisive free throw.
“That’s the most frustrating thing, to throw it away after putting in all this work,” said Wembanyama, who also misfired on a 20-foot attempt in the closing seconds. “I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours.
“But at this point, it’s done. Yes, am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson emphasized that his team must maintain the same energy throughout entire games that they displayed during their fourth-quarter rally. With an inexperienced roster experiencing their first Finals appearance, maturity and closing ability remain essential elements.
“We showed tremendous desperation, urgency and competitive response (late in the game),” Johnson said. “We don’t feel like we played well, or up to our standard at least, in the last two games. New York has played very well, and that’s a part of that.
“But we’re going to go into Game 3 — if we play our brand of basketball up to our standard, we’ll be just fine.”
While San Antonio may possess the league’s emerging superstar as the foundation for a promising young roster, New York counters with Brunson and a championship-tested group that continues finding ways to win.
The Knicks extended their postseason winning streak to 13 games, placing them second in NBA history for consecutive playoff victories behind the Golden State Warriors’ 15-game streak in 2017.
“I don’t know if you could say it was a rough shooting night (for Brunson),” said New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who paced the team with 21 points and 13 rebounds. “I see ‘Captain Clutch’ doing what he’s always been doing since I got here. When it comes down to winning the game, No. 11 can’t be messed with.”
