“I need time to rest, let my brain rest, heal,” says league star Victor Wembanyama after the Spurs scored one goal after emerging with a one-goal victory in the NBA Finals match.
NEW YORK, USA – San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team entered Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on Monday, June 8, as they beat the Knicks, 115-111, to cut New York’s lead to 2-1 in the best-of-three series.
The game looked like a must-win for San Antonio, who dropped the first two at home and faced a hostile crowd in New York, where Knicks fans emptied their wallets for tickets to their first home NBA Finals game in 27 years.
San Antonio came out on top, with 7-foot-4 superstar Victor Wembanyama leading the way with 32 points to end New York’s record 13-game postseason winning streak.
“We showed composure at times. I thought we finished the game with some things that need to be improved, but stronger than we’ve been in the last (two) games,” Johnson told reporters. “We were in attack mode.”
After a costly foul by Wembanyama helped New York win 105-104 in Game 2, the Frenchman drew flak from some corners of social media after escaping the Midtown media circus with his sketchbook in a local park.
But the artistic pursuit paid off as the 22-year-old player kept his composure and led his team to 42 points in the second quarter of the Knicks.
“(I) really tried to relax,” he told reporters. “It’s hard to get your head out of the water. Sometimes I don’t even have to watch the game right away. I need time to rest, let my brain cool down, heal. Heal physically as well as mentally.”
Game 4 for the Knicks will take place on Wednesday, June 10.
‘Confidence has been fine’
Wembanyama had 32 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks, while Stephon Castle added 23 points – 18 in the first half and 5 important points at the end of the fourth quarter – as the Spurs avoided falling into an 0-3 hole.
No NBA team has ever overcome a three-games-to-none deficit in a best-of-seven series.
“I feel like we haven’t done anything yet,” Castle said. “Obviously we are still 2-1 down and we are looking forward to the next 48 minutes.
“Obviously it feels good to win, especially on the road after knocking off two bad teams. But I think our confidence has been the same throughout this series no matter what happens.”
Dylan Harper scored 13 points off the bench for San Antonio while starters Julian Champagnie (12 points), De’Aaron Fox (12 points) and Devin Vassell (11 points) all got in double figures. Fox added 8 assists.
Jalen Brunson scored 32 points on 11-of-25 shooting for the Knicks, whose 13-game winning streak – the second-longest postseason winning streak in NBA history – was snapped. The 2017 Golden State Warriors won their first 15 playoff games en route to the title.
“I tell the guys, it’s a seven-game streak for a reason,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “They are a great team. They are trained well. They have a unique player. It will not be easy.”
Trump shouted
President Donald Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the NBA Finals, was booed by fellow New York Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden before Game 3.
Shown on the jumbotron saluting the American flag during the national anthem, Trump received a chorus of boos but played down the reception after the game.
“It was definitely amazing. It was, I think, mostly fun,” he told reporters before boarding Air Force One for Washington after staying until the end of the game. “It was loud, and it was very passionate.”
The Athletic reported that Trump, 79, a native of New York, was louder than the Spurs.
Invited to attend Game 3 by Knicks owner James Dolan, Trump sat in a room near center court, in the center of the seating area, in a box designed for his visit with bulletproof glass. The mirror was one of several security measures taken by Trump in attendance.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Trump was welcomed to the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999, when the Knicks lost to the Spurs, adding that the President is a “true Knicks fan.”
“What makes sports so unique, especially when there are so many things that divide people, is that it’s something we have in common,” Silver told ESPN’s. Inside the NBA before Game 3. “We have to find things we have in common and build on those.”
According to ESPN, fans made obscene signs at Trump when his motorcade arrived at MSG, with some holding signs that read “Trump must go.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also attended Game 3. She told the media that she bought her own standing room only ticket, spending nearly $1,000. – Rappler.com
