Historic Meltdown
The New York Knicks win game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Madison Square Garden and move one win away from an NBA championship.
The New York Knicks were down 29 at one point in the game. What followed was a historic, epic comeback that culminated in a last-second OG Anunoby putback that won them the game. MSG, raucous as it has always been, exploded into celebration as the final buzzer sounded.
On the other side of that is an equally historic and epic meltdown by the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs started the game as they usually do–Wemby leads the way and the rest follows. The shotmaking in the first half was excellent to say the least, and New York seemed to be out of sorts as coach Mike Brown fielded 12 different players in 14 minutes just to try and stop the San Antonio momentum. This was an exercise in futility, as 6 San Antonio players were in double digits by halftime. The Knicks allowed 76 first half points.
And then, the meltdown started.
The Spurs fell in love with jumpers and started “three-hunting.” A better option would have been to slow the pace down to a crawl, seeing as they held a big 20+ lead. Put the ball in the hands of the giant in the paint and watch him score, or get fouled. Like what Tim Duncan and David Robinson did.
Instead, the Knicks were able to capitalize on the transition game, and Jalen Brunson and company got into a nice rhythm, which is really the only thing great players need to get going.
This game was going to be known as the Spurs’ blowout game. Now, they head back to San Antonio in a 3-1 hole. The question in every Spurs fan’s mind is this–can the Spurs win three in a row? It has been done before–the Golden State Warriors once blew a 3-1 series lead that enabled the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2016 championship.
The Spurs could take solace in the fact that the next 2 out of 3 possible games are going to be in San Antonio, but homecourt advantage matters barely in this series. The series could have easily gone 2-2, with both teams winning both away games.
The loss today is going to be hard for Wemby and co. to recover from, but that is the job, and they have to be in survival mode from this point on.
Game 5 is Sunday, June 14, 8:30 AM PHT.
DAILY FANTASY PICKS for GAME 5:
Captain: Victor Wembanyama
Vice Captain: Jalen Brunson
Key picks: Devin Vassell, Karl Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper
You may use the suggested picks to play Daily Fantasy now! Here’s how to get you started. Don’t miss the NBA Playoffs!
Win a preseason ticket to an NBA game in Macau! Here’s how to join the NBA Finals Clutch Run.
