New York Knicks fans probably can’t believe how well things are going right now. In the team’s first NBA Finals in 27 years, the Knicks have a 2-0 lead against the San Antonio Spurs and now get to come home to Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are overwhelming favorites to end the team’s 53-year title drought, but they aren’t clear favorites for Monday’s Game 3 in New York. Sportsbooks are still valuing the Spurs as the better team on a game-by-game basis, based on the spreads.
Game 3: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks
Knicks lead series 2-0
Time: Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Series odds: Knicks -600, Spurs +380
The Knicks are only favored by 2.5 points for Game 3, and the spread was tighter than that a couple of days ago. After the Spurs were favored by 4.5 and 5.5 points in the first two games at home, both of which they lost, the Knicks are smaller favorites than that for their first home game.
After how frenetic Game 2 was, with the Spurs playing with absolute desperation to get a win at home and the Knicks seemingly willing to play at an out-of-control pace, Game 3 could be similarly fast-paced. Game 2 was very physical. Now the series shifts to New York, where the Knicks will play at home in front of a raucous and suddenly expectant crowd.
Neither team’s lead star has had a standout game yet. Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama are leading their teams in scoring, but the efficiency has not been there. Brunson has shot below 40 percent from the field in both games and was an especially off 7-for-25 from the field (28 percent) in Game 2. Wembanyama was 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) from the field in Game 1 and was better in some ways in Game 2 (29 points, nine rebounds, four blocks), but still had a crucial turnover in the last minute and missed a decent look at a game-winning jumper at the buzzer in Game 2.
In the Western Conference finals, Wembanyama gathered his team for a huddle in Game 5 in Oklahoma City when his team was facing a big deficit. The Spurs rallied, although not all the way back in that game, and then won the next two to advance to the NBA Finals.
Wemby did the same thing in Game 2 against the Knicks, with the Spurs facing a big deficit. They again rallied, although ultimately in defeat. Will there be a carryover effect into Game 3, or will the disappointment of the missed game-winner halt any possible momentum?
The Knicks blew a 14-point lead with six minutes left thanks to a 14-0 Spurs run. Escaping that game with a win has changed the feel of the series. Instead of the Finals being up for grabs at 1-1 and the Spurs having an emotional comeback win, the Knicks are in complete control and have won 13 games in a row in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how each team responds to the wild finish of Game 2.
No team has ever come back from 2-0 down in the NBA Finals after losing the first two games at home. The Spurs will try to become the first, but face long odds to do so, even if the odds for Game 3 imply Monday should be close.