Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns was a difference-maker in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, according to Zach Kram of ESPN and Fred Katz of The Athletic, coming up big on both ends of the court.
While the Spurs would prefer to use Victor Wembanyama as the primary defender on Josh Hart, allowing him to roam around the paint and away from the perimeter, Towns proved to be a difficult assignment for smaller San Antonio defenders, pushing his way to the basket when he had the size advantage, notes Katz.
On the other end of the floor, there was an expectation that OG Anunoby would get the first look as Wembanyama’s primary defender, but that assignment went to Towns instead. According to NBA.com’s matchup data, Towns guarded the Spurs star for nearly 80% of the time when both players were on the floor together. Against the Knicks center, Wembanyama scored just nine points on 2-of-11 shooting and committed five turnovers.
On the heels of his standout performance, Towns told Shaquille O’Neal and the Inside the NBA crew that he believes his ability to stay level-headed and focused during Game 1 was due to the presence of his late mother, Jacqueline Cruz, who passed away in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19.
“I don’t want to sound sugarcoating or anything like that,” Towns said. “I don’t know what it was, but I just felt a calm and a peace that had to be come from the woman above. I felt really confident about today. I felt good. I felt like a kid. It was just fun out here. … In a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands. It was fun. It was really fun. It was really comforting because Game 1 of the NBA Finals, you’re told all the pressure there’s going to be.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- After scoring 10 total points in four games against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals, Knicks guard Jose Alvarado scored seven points in 11 minutes on Wednesday. His 11 minutes of action were the most he had played since April 28 and his four rebounds represented a personal playoff high. Alvarado first entered the game after Jalen Brunson appeared to injure his knee and admitted his first thought was that Brunson “better come back,” as Zach Braziller of The New York Post relays. “My second thought is, this is what I do. I wasn’t scared of the moment,” Alvarado said. “This is something I live for, and I just want to take advantage of it and do what the team needs.”
- Although Harrison Barnes fell into his knee in the first quarter and Luke Kornet stepped on his ankle in the second quarter, Brunson showed no ill effects of those injuries in the second half or ahead of practice on Thursday, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News (subscription required)
- In an entertaining story for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III takes an in-depth look at the history shared by the Knicks’ three former Villanova stars – Brunson, Hart, and Mikal Bridges – and the bond they’ve developed over their many years as teammates. “We genuinely like playing together,” Brunson said of the ‘Nova Knicks’ last month. “We’ve created a chemistry that has been great. I love playing with these guys. They mean a lot to me. It’s been a lot of fun.”
fully expect the Spurs to come out throwing haymakers, but i think the knicks can keep it close. would be amazing to go back to NY up 2-0 but i wont be upset if the series is tied. enjoyed watching Towns and Robinson match-up with Wemby. its going to put a lot more of the onus on the supporting players to have big games.
Lets Go Knicks!!