The anticipation and accompanying energy shaking Madison Square Garden on Monday night for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs — rising to a crescendo as the basketball was tossed into the air by referee Marc Davis for the opening tip — was viscerally stunning and could not be solely measured in decibels.
Most of the over 20,000 occupants in the building, including journalists, NBA personnel and Garden staff, had to navigate layers of metal barriers and undergo a stringent security check by the U.S. Secret Service due to the presence of President Donald Trump to gain entry. But most dismissed the arduous protocol as a mere inconvenience by the time the game began.
Their concentration shifted squarely to the Knicks, urging them, for all intents and purposes, to end the best-of-seven series by taking a 3-0 lead, a deficit no team has ever overcome in NBA playoff history. Knicks faithful cherished being a firsthand witness to one of the most galvanizing achievements in the modern history of New York City: the Knicks winning the league championship for the first time in 53 years.
With Walt Frazier and Bill Bradley — members of the franchise’s last championship team in 1973 — in attendance, along with Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, John Starks and Larry Johnson, who helped the Knicks reach the Finals in 1999 for the first time in 27 years, the past and present met.
Visions of clinching the championship two nights later in Game 4 at the Garden in the heart of the city had a feeling deeper than just being perceptible. There was a sense of tangibility and each fan clutching a small piece of the Larry O’Brien Trophy, awarded to the champion.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
But it wasn’t to be. The Spurs summoned the resolve, determination and youthful spirit that have defined the young collective. Center Victor Wembanyama, 22, and guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, 21 and 22 respectively, imposed their physicality and will on the older and more experienced Knicks, outlasting the Knicks core of stars, guard Jalen Brunson, 29, center Karl-Anthony Towns, 30, and forward OG Anunoby, 28. The Spurs’ 115-111 victory ensured they will play at least one more game at home. They will face the Knicks in San Antonio Saturday night.
“I tell the guys, it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” said Knicks head coach Mike Brown on Monday after the Spurs ended the Knicks’ remarkable 13-game postseason win streak spanning from April 25 to June 5.
“They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have an iconic player. It’s not going to be easy.”
That iconic player Brown was referring to is Wembanyama, who scored 32 points in leading the Spurs.
“At home, it really feels like playing six against five. Here, it feels like five against six,” Wembanyama noted of playing in front of an amped-up MSG crowd. “It really shows what teams are made of.”
“You knew they were going to come out with a sense of urgency and a sense of desperation,” Towns reflected. “We should have started the game off better. We should have started the third quarter off better. So, you know, back to 0-0.”
The Knicks still held a 2-1 advantage going into Game 4 last night at the Garden, but knew they were acutely aware the series could turn dramatically.
“We’ve done our best to try to learn from wins over the past couple weeks,” said Brunson. “But now we have to learn from a loss.”
