San Antonio’s head coach Mitch Johnson described his squad’s aggressive approach during Monday night’s crucial NBA Finals matchup at Madison Square Garden, where the Spurs defeated New York 115-111 to cut the series deficit to 2-1.
The matchup carried enormous significance for San Antonio, who had fallen in both opening contests on their home court and now faced a raucous New York crowd that had paid premium prices to witness the Knicks’ first NBA Finals home game in nearly three decades.
San Antonio answered the challenge decisively, led by towering star Victor Wembanyama, who stands 7-foot-4 and poured in 32 points to halt New York’s impressive 13-game postseason winning streak.
“We showed better poise at times. I thought we finished the game still with some things that need improvement, but stronger than we did the last (two) games,” Johnson told reporters. “We were in attack mode.”
Following a crucial mistake by Wembanyama that contributed to New York’s 105-104 victory in the previous contest, the French center drew some social media mockery after he stepped away from the intense media spotlight in Midtown to sketch statues at a nearby park with his drawing pad.
However, the creative outlet appeared to benefit the 22-year-old, who maintained his composure and helped rally his team despite New York’s explosive 42-point second quarter performance.
“(I) really tried to relax,” he told reporters. “It’s hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes I don’t even got to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.”
New York will host the fourth game of the series on Wednesday.
