For five minutes on Friday night, it looked like the San Antonio Spurs were on their way to completing one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the NBA Finals. Instead, they are facing a harash reality: being in an 0-2 series deficit.<\/p>\n
Despite rallying from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and taking the lead in the final minutes, the Spurs suffered a heartbreaking 105-104 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at the Frost Bank Center, putting San Antonio in an 0-2 hole as the series shifts to Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe weren\u2019t playing good enough,\u201d Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t consistent enough in the phases of the game. It felt like we chased the game a little bit and they [Knicks] made some tough shots at the end of the shot clock. I thought that affected our approach at times and took away from trying to play our brand of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a strong first quarter, the Spurs were outscored 31-18 in the second quarter thanks to the play of Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> and Mikal Bridges<\/a>. Victor Wembanyama, who said he needed to be better after Game 1, had just seven points on four shot attempts in the first half.<\/p>\n Wembanyama turned things around in the second half as he finished the game with 29 points, nine rebounds and four blocks while being a key cog in San Antonio\u2019s comeback effort on both ends of the floor. De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a> bounced back from a poor outing in Game 1 to score 20 points as the Spurs chipped away at New York\u2019s lead.<\/p>\n With the Spurs trailing 97-83 with 6:03 remaining, San Antonio\u2019s defense tightened, shots started to fall, the crowd came alive, and the Spurs began getting stops that turned into transition points. Wembanyama gave the Spurs the lead when he was fouled on an attempt, hitting the free throw to put his team up one. When it appeared momentum had shifted, New York responded.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI threw that one away. I messed up. We needed to win that game. This game was ours,\u201d Wembanyama said of his turnover at the end of the game. \u201cBut at this point, it\u2019s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Jalen Brunson<\/a> delivered in the game\u2019s biggest moments, which is why he\u2019s earned the nickname \u201cCaptain Clutch\u201d. Wembanyama passed the ball, but it went off the back of Stephon Castle<\/a>. Wemby fouled Brunson who dived to the court for the ball, sending him to the free throw line. Brunson knocked down the go-ahead free throw with 9.5 seconds left, giving New York\u00a0the 105-104 lead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe showed tremendous desperation, urgency, and competitive response,\u201d Johnson said of the Spurs\u2019 fourth quarter rally. \u201cHopefully we can try to bottle that up so we don\u2019t have to be down to play at that same level.\u201d<\/p>\n The Spurs still had one final chance. Wembanyama\u2019s shot attempt hit iron as time expired, sending the thousands of Knicks fans who made the trip into a frenzy. Anthony-Towns led the way for the Knicks with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Bridges added 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Brunson chipped in 20 points despite a difficult shooting night, going 7-for-25 from the floor.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0still very blurry, and\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0the whole problem,\u201d Wembanyama said of the final moments down the stretch. \u201cI need to have more\u00a0poise,\u00a0more control over the game.\u201d<\/p>\n The loss stings for San Antonio because they were so close. After struggling offensively for long stretches and having the Knicks control much of the game, the Spurs nearly tied the series up at one game apiece and sent their fans honking into the night.<\/p>\n The comeback will be remembered, but so will the heartbreaking ending. Now, the Spurs are in unfamiliar territory: needing to win on the road at Madison Square Garden to get back into the series.<\/p>\n While things seem daunting, the Finals are far from over. But for one night in June in San Antonio, a rally became a heartbreaking reminder of how thin the margin for error can be on basketball\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Game Notes<\/p>\n Through two games, Jalen Brunson is 19-for-56 from the field against the Spurs. We can\u2019t chalk it up to Brunson having a bad shooting night. This is more credit for the swarming defense that the Spurs have played on him.<\/p>\n