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New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns hugs his dad, Karl-Anthony Towns Sr., after Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Friday, June 5, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
David J. Phillip\/AP Photo\/David J. Phillip<\/p>\n
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, left, and New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges, right, pressure San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Friday, June 5, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Eric Gay\/AP Photo\/Eric Gay<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama shoots a free throw during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Friday, June 5, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Eric Gay\/AP Photo\/Eric Gay<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) defends against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Friday, June 5, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
David J. Phillip\/AP Photo\/David J. Phillip<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama walks off the court as time expires during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series as New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44), guard Josh Hart (3), and center Mitchell Robinson (23) celebrate, Friday, June 5, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Eric Gay\/AP Photo\/Eric Gay<\/p>\n
The New York Knicks are up 2-0. They say they’re unfazed.<\/p>\n
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The San Antonio Spurs are down 0-2. They say they’re unfazed.<\/p>\n
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Such is the state of things in the NBA Finals, where both teams were taking a travel day on Saturday. Practices resume Sunday and Game 3 of the title series is Monday night at Madison Square Garden, where President Donald Trump will be watching alongside fans who are willing to pay nearly $10,000 for seats so far from the court that 7-foot-4 Spurs center Victor Wembanyama will look tiny.<\/p>\n
The Knicks insist they’re not celebrating yet. The Spurs insist they’re not defeated yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single day, we chip away and try to be the best that we can be. … Even with the series it is now, next game, mindset has to be 0-0 again,\u201d said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, the late-game hero in both the Game 1 and Game 2 wins that New York got in San Antonio to take an absolute stranglehold on the series. \u201cIt\u2019s just how it has to be. You can\u2019t be comfortable. You can\u2019t be satisfied with anything. Just got to continue to push forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s all they’ve done for a month and a half now.<\/p>\n
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They’ve won 13 consecutive games, the second-longest single-season playoff run in NBA history behind only a 15-game winning streak by Golden State in the 2017 postseason. They have a chance to be the first team in NBA history to make it through the last three rounds of the playoffs \u2014 the conference semifinals, conference final and NBA Finals \u2014 unbeaten.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that we preach is being present,\u201d Knicks coach Mike Brown said. \u201cIn order to be present, you can\u2019t think about the past, you can\u2019t think about the future. For all of us as humans, that\u2019s hard as heck to do. I constantly, boom, flick myself in the head, tell myself, \u2018Be present, be present, be present.\u2019 I obviously mention it to the group, too. With those guys being who they are, they\u2019ve really embraced it, and they\u2019re really trying to live it every single moment during this run.\u201d<\/p>\n
They don’t get rattled, even on this stage. Counting the NBA Cup final, which isn’t recognized in standings or official league stats, the Knicks are 4-1 against the Spurs this season. The four wins by New York all have something in common: the Knicks trailed by double digits in each of those games.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Cup final in Vegas, the Spurs led by 11 (and lost by 11).<\/p>\n
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\u2014 Regular-season game at MSG, the Spurs led by 12 (and lost by 25).<\/p>\n
\u2014 Game 1 of the finals, the Spurs led by 14 (and lost by 10).<\/p>\n
\u2014 Game 2 of the finals, the Spurs led by 12 (and lost by one).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just need to figure it out,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cWe need to keep working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The only Spurs win over New York was the regular-season game at home, where they won by two after trailing by 19 and never leading by more than six.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was going to take everything to win the series anyway,\u201d Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. \u201cPutting ourselves in this type of predicament is going to be tough, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s anything we can\u2019t handle.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Knicks have an idea of what’s coming on Monday.<\/p>\n
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The Garden will be shaking to its core, since people who spent the kind of money that they’re spending to come see a basketball game likely won’t decide to sit quietly in their seats. The energy in the city will be beyond compare, with a 53-year wait for another NBA championship now just two games away and oddsmakers \u2014 who have the Knicks at -550 to win the series \u2014 basically saying it’s inevitable. And the Spurs will come out throwing whatever punches they have left to throw.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing them, there\u2019s going to be another level,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cWe have to be prepared and be ready to match it and play for 48 minutes. No matter what goes on in the game, we have to have each other\u2019s back, what\u2019s going on, who is on a run, what\u2019s not, who is up, who is down, making sure we are playing together for 48 minutes is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n
If the Knicks could use a cautionary tale, they need look no further than Mikal Bridges. He was with Phoenix when the Suns took a 2-0 lead in the 2021 finals against Milwaukee. The Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo won that series in six games. It’s a different situation now \u2014 those two Suns wins were in Phoenix, not on the road \u2014 but it is a reminder that two wins aren’t enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still 0-0 as far as we\u2019re concerned,\u201d Knicks forward Josh Hart said. \u201cBeing up 2-0 means really nothing. This (San Antonio) team is going to come out on Monday with an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation, and we\u2019ve got to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n
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