NEW YORK (AP) — The last time the New York Knicks suffered a defeat, they went on to avoid another loss for six weeks straight.
After falling behind in their opening playoff series against Atlanta, the Knicks transformed desperation into complete control. New York captured 13 consecutive victories, with many being decisive wins, creating one of the most remarkable playoff runs in league history.
The situation doesn’t call for such heroics this time around. Holding a 2-1 advantage over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, New York only needs to go .500 in their remaining games to claim their first title since 1973.
Following their Game 3 defeat, the Knicks don’t require a complete transformation. However, improvement is essential.
“We have a veteran group. Nobody is quote-unquote panicking or anything like that,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said Tuesday. “Everybody is disappointed that we didn’t go out and execute and play to what we feel our standard is. That’s not taking anything away from San Antonio, but we feel like we can play a lot better than what we did.
“We’re looking forward to going out on the floor and showing it.”
Wednesday’s Game 4 continues a series where visiting teams have claimed every contest, marking just the second occurrence of this pattern in Finals history.
San Antonio seized early momentum and dominated crucial late moments in their 115-111 triumph Monday. Victor Wembanyama dominated on both ends of the court, recording 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots.
Displaying no intimidation from the hostile road atmosphere in Madison Square Garden’s first Finals game since 1999, similar to their Game 7 road victory over defending champion Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals, Wembanyama and San Antonio again appeared capable of capturing a championship without the typical growing pains experienced by other young squads.
“We will see. But my bet would be yes, it’s possible,” Wembanyama said.
San Antonio maintained this confidence even after losing both home games, meaning they must become the first team to win a championship after starting 0-2 at home. This belief stems from having one of the world’s elite players surrounded by exceptional talent, a group so assured that Monday’s achievement didn’t faze them.
“I didn’t want us to get too happy about one win and get satisfied and take our foot off the gas a little bit for the next game,” said guard Stephen Castle, who scored 23 points. “But I think since the end of Game 2 we’ve still been confident that we’re going to win this series, and that’s what we plan to do.”
New York’s first defeat since April 23 didn’t trigger panic, as they continuously sought improvements even during their winning streak.
“Each game, no matter what the situation is, we’re growing as a team. I think we’re learning and we’re getting better — obviously before last night,” Jalen Brunson said. “No matter what the situation is, we’re going to stick together. We’re going to execute, we’re going to be better. That’s just how our mindset has to be going forward.”
Several issues require attention. Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t producing in final quarters. Wembanyama has discovered methods to exploit New York over the past game and a half after earlier struggles. The Knicks must reduce turnovers and improve defense without committing fouls — regardless of Brown’s opinions about Game 3 officiating.
New York executed these elements effectively during the second-longest postseason winning streak in history. Now they must bounce back swiftly from defeat, or face returning to San Antonio for Game 5 with an even series.
“We have, what, 13 games in a row, 50 days of film to show what it looks like when we’re at our best. So we’ve got good film,” Towns said. “We’ll get back to our fundamentals, what makes us great, what made us great, and get back to work” in Game 4.
