Jalen Brunson (20 points), Mikal Bridges (20 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (21 points, 13 rebounds) combine for 61 in Game 2 win.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Complete coverage: 2026 NBA Finals<\/a><\/p>\n What has surprised you the most through the first two games of the NBA Finals<\/a>?<\/p>\n Simplistic as this sounds, I\u2019m surprised that the Spurs didn\u2019t put their foot down \u2013 specifically, Victor Wembanyama\u2019s rather gargantuan size-20.5 sneaker \u2013 in Game 2<\/a> on Friday. San Antonio has had a pattern of A) Encountering a little adversity early in its playoff series, but B) Responding pretty quickly to snuff the threats and move on. That resilience\/resolve was enough to convince me that we\u2019d all be heading to New York with a 1-1 series, a return to San Antonio for Game 5 assured and likely another return for a Finals that would go the distance.<\/p>\n Now? None of that is a given. Wembanyama and his teammates started fine Friday but finished poorly<\/a>. They have lost late leads in both games so far. The Knicks\u2019 confidence is dialed up to 11<\/a> and, if they don\u2019t win one or both at Madison Square Garden in the coming days \u2013 as giddy as that city is \u2013 it will seem kind of cruel.<\/p>\n From there, history and trends could carry this home: Teams that win the first two games of a Finals have won the championship 86.5% of the time\u00a0 (32-5). Teams that win the first two games on the road are unbeaten (2-0). And if that sample size is too small to trust, Finals teams that take a 3-1 series lead have a compelling 97.4% success rate (37-1).<\/p>\n \u2014Steve Aschburner | View Steve\u2019s full archive<\/a><\/p>\n If anyone had told me that through two games of the NBA Finals, Jalen Brunson would be shooting 33.9% (19-for-56) overall and 23.5% (4-for-17) from 3-point range and have a negative point differential (-4), I would have guessed the Knicks were trailing 0-2 rather than leading 2-0 as the series shifts to New York.<\/p>\n How this has happened brings me to my second surprise: Karl-Anthony Towns outplaying Victor Wembanyama. Through two games, Towns is averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and four assists on incredible efficiency (55.6% FG, 42.9% 3P, 100% FT), leading all players in the series in plus\/minus (+25). And he\u2019s doing it against the reigning Kia Defensive Player of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n When defending Wemby, Towns has held the superstar to 20 total points on 36.8% (7-for-19) shooting over 16:01 of matchup time, forcing as many turnovers as made baskets (seven each). Towns has only committed four shooting fouls against Wemby. KAT has a history of getting into foul trouble, so being able to successfully defend Wemby while limiting his fouls has been huge.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Karl-Anthony Towns delivers an efficient 21 points (8-12 FGs) in the Knicks’ Game 2 victory.<\/p>\n Flip the floor, and the success continues. In 11:54 of matchup time with Wemby as the primary defender, Towns has scored 16 points on 58.3% (7-for-12) shooting, including 50% (2-for-4) from deep against Wembanyama. Towns also has three assists against two turnovers while being guarded by Wemby, who has only blocked one of Towns\u2019 shots so far in the series.<\/p>\n If the Spurs are going to get back into this series, this matchup needs to turn in their favor. They also have to hope Brunson doesn\u2019t get back to his normal efficiency \u2014 he entered the Finals shooting 48.6% from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n \u2014Brian Martin, for NBA.com<\/p>\n Shaun Powell<\/p>\n Biggest surprise is the minimal impact made by Keldon Johnson, the NBA\u2019s 2026 Kia Sixth Man Award<\/a> winner. Actually, Johnson\u2019s performance has been mild throughout much of the playoffs, with the exception of a few stretches in the Western Conference Finals<\/a> vs. Oklahoma City. Other than Dylan Harper, the Spurs\u2019 bench is producing efforts that are inconsistent at best against the Knicks.<\/p>\n For example, whenever Victor Wembanyama sits, backup center Luke Kornet is being targeted by the Knicks; he has one point and four rebounds in the two games and is forcing Wemby back on the floor. But it is Johnson and his six points and four rebounds combined through two games \u2014 after averaging 13 and 5 during the season \u2014 that is most troublesome.<\/p>\n \u2014Shaun Powell | View Shaun\u2019s full archive<\/a><\/p>\n Big picture: The Knicks are on the most surprising playoff run most of us have ever seen, even though it was fair to consider them the favorites in the Eastern Conference. To win 13 straight games, have the best point differential (plus-17.6 per game<\/a>) in NBA playoff history, and take the first two games of the Finals on the road against a 62-win team is simply incredible.<\/p>\n More specifically, it\u2019s surprising that they\u2019ve been able to defend at such a high level. The two least efficient series for any team in these playoffs are the Cavs\u2019 100.3 points per 100 possessions <\/a>in the conference finals and the Spurs\u2019 100.5 per 100 <\/a>in the Finals. The assumption for the last two years is that you can\u2019t have an elite defense with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor, but the Knicks\u2019 two start have more than held up on that end, their supporting cast has been amazing, and the game-planning from Mike Brown and his staff have been terrific.<\/p>\n