Knicks 105, Spurs 104: the comeback was real, the finish was a nightmare

Knicks 105, Spurs 104: comeback to savor, finish to forget

Victor Wembanyama described himself as "very blurry" after Game 2, and the Spurs' situation is anything but. San Antonio climbed out of a 14-point fourth-quarter hole with a 14-0 run, briefly took the lead on a Wembanyama three-point play, then it fell apart: a pass to Stephon Castle that Castle never saw, Jalen Brunson at the free-throw line, and finally a pick-and-roll with seconds left — De'Aaron Fox finding Wembanyama for a jumper that missed. Mitchell Robinson had been a factor all night, with the Spurs even using intentional fouls on him early. Knicks coach Mike Brown noted the full-circle nature of the finish. "It started with Mitch and it ended with the other four guys boxing out," Brown said. Wembanyama was direct: "I threw that one away. I messed up." Spurs coach Mitch Johnson acknowledged the team's struggles: "We don't feel like we played well or up to our standard at least in the last two games."

Gobble's Take: The Spurs had the game and gave it back — and both coaches said so plainly.

Source: Yahoo Sports NBA

Knicks up 2-0, and MSG tickets are already priced like the trophy is in the building

New York's 105-104 win sent ticket prices for Games 3 and 4 at Madison Square Garden into the stratosphere. The get-in price for Game 3 sat at $7,142 Thursday afternoon; Game 4 was already at $14,654. The most expensive Game 3 seats climbed to $104,435 after reports that President Trump planned to attend. Floor seats for Game 4 were listed at $109,106. If the series somehow survives long enough to reach a Game 7 in San Antonio, the current get-in price there is $3,400 — a relative bargain that tells you everything about where the money thinks this series is headed.

Gobble's Take: When the cheapest ticket to a game costs more than most cars, "pressure is mounting" is putting it gently.

Source: Yahoo Sports NBA

The Knicks survived a vicious Spurs surge and are calling 2-0 "nothing"

New York got punched in both the first and fourth quarters, with San Antonio stringing together a 21-5 run over five minutes and snatching a two-point lead with 57 seconds left. The Knicks still got out alive: Jalen Brunson's game-tying bucket at 39 seconds, a 1-of-2 trip to the line 20 seconds later, and then Wembanyama's go-ahead attempt missing with two seconds on the clock. The Knicks' postgame message was blunt — being up 2-0 means "really, nothing," and Monday at MSG is going to bring "an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation." Miles McBride had one word for what that building will feel like: "Hectic."

Gobble's Take: A 2-0 Finals lead is supposed to feel like a cushion. This one feels like a door the Knicks are holding shut with their whole body.

Source: Yahoo Sports NBA

In Case You Missed It

Yesterday's top stories:

• Knicks-Spurs Game 2: Don't Blink
• Julian Champagnie Lit the Fuse, Then Left the Building
• The WNBA Just Wrapped Its Longest Regular Season Ever
• The Valkyries-Lynx Series Was a Lesson in How Far "Defying Expectations" Goes