NBA Finals Notes: K. Johnson, Wembanyama, LeBron, Ratings

One of the overlooked reasons for the Spurs‘ victory in Game 3 was the defensive job that forward Keldon Johnson did against Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only piece. Despite being six inches shorter and 28 pounds lighter, Johnson was able to use his physicality to throw Towns off his game.

“I just tried to make it tough for him,” Johnson said. “He’s a really good player. He’s been playing at a really high level throughout the series, so I just tried to make it tough on him, make his catches tough, try to make him uncomfortable, just doing whatever I can to make him have a tough night.”

Towns was limited to 11 points on Monday after scoring 18 and 21 in the first two games of the series. Johnson, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, posted a team-best plus-14 rating in 17 minutes of action.

“He’ll do whatever the coaching staff asks him to do, bringing his energy and physicality (to the assignment),” San Antonio center Luke Kornet said of Johnson. “His versatility is important for us.”

There’s more on the NBA Finals:

• Before leading the Spurs to a pivotal win, Victor Wembanyama relaxed on Sunday with a trip to Gramercy Park, one of New York City’s quietest and most exclusive attractions, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Wembanyama and his sister spent the afternoon sketching, admiring the statues and watching a Shakespearian presentation, helping him clear his mind for the challenge ahead. “Really tried to relax. The Playoffs, it’s like a — I don’t know how to say that word — a whirlwind. It’s hard to put your head out of the water,” Wembanyama said after Game 3. “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.”
• LeBron James suggests that the Knicks’ two road wins to open the series were the result of a lack of attractions in San Antonio that interest NBA players, relays Ryan Anderson of The New York Post. “I mean, San Antonio, we focus on basketball,” James said on his Mind the Game podcast (YouTube link). “You ain’t doing s–t in San Antonio. Nothing at all. Nothing. And I mean nothing.”
• Monday’s contest drew the highest television rating for the NBA Finals in 28 years, the league announced (Twitter link). The game averaged 23.8 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, peaking with 26.3 million at 11:15 pm Eastern Time.