New York Knicks fan Anthony Powell flew in from Long Island for the NBA Finals and found himself in Alamo Plaza a day after the Knicks beat the Spurs in Game 1. Powell said this series may be the Knicks’ last chance for a long while to win the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy because the Spurs may soon dominate the NBA.
Alyssa Aguilar/Staff Writer
The NBA Finals debate moved from Frost Bank Center to Alamo Plaza on Thursday morning, where ESPN’s “First Take” drew Spurs fans, Knicks fans and plenty of Victor Wembanyama talk after New York’s Game 1 win.
Hours after Wednesday night’s Game 1, ESPN’s stage was set up in Alamo Plaza for a 9 a.m. live broadcast of “First Take.” Spurs fans lined the barricades around the stage, chanting “Go Spurs Go,” while Knicks fans mixed into the crowd in downtown San Antonio.
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The broadcast featured Stephen A. Smith, Shae Peppler Cornette, Kendrick Perkins, Chiney Ogwumike and Brian Windhorst, who broke down Wembanyama’s Game 1 performance, the Knicks’ win and how the series could shift from here.
Perkins praised Wembanyama as a future face of the NBA but said the Spurs star relied too much on jump shots in Game 1. He also said Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns was more physical than expected and overpowered Wembanyama, which surprised him.
“Wemby needs to understand that he’s a big man first, every time he shoots jump shots, if I’m on the other side, I’m saying thank you—regardless if he makes the shots or not,” Perkins said “he has to be better offensively.”
Ogwumike debated that the Knicks had more second-chance points and mentioned that the Spurs fans support Wembanyama tirelessly.
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“You’ll be fine, don’t let any of these Knicks fans get in your head,” Cornette said as advice for worried fans.
Spurs, Knicks fans pack Alamo Plaza
Spurs fans arrived in jerseys, hats and flags, pressing against the barricades for a look at the ESPN set and breaking into “Go Spurs Go” chants while Knicks fans who flew to San Antonio for the Finals stood nearby.
Spurs fan Jennifer Rodriguez said the ESPN commentators didn’t say anything that surprised her.
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“We’re used to it,” she said, noting that it’s typical for the Spurs to receive little praise from national commentators as Smith and Perkins kept circling back to the high stakes facing the team in Game 2.
Anthony Powell, a retired history teacher and basketball coach from Long Island, traveled to San Antonio to support the Knicks. Powell, a longtime fan, said New York needs to take advantage of this Finals chance before Wembanyama and the Spurs grow into a bigger problem for the rest of the league.
“After this year, it’s going to be over for everybody else, San Antonio is going to be running things,” Powell said, “They have the potential to win the NBA championship several years in a row after this.”
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As the sun rose higher over Alamo Plaza, the crowd around ESPN’s stage grew louder. Spurs and Knicks fans talked, chanted and wiped sweat from their faces as they held signs and flags, keeping the Finals buzz going ahead of Game 2 in San Antonio.