By:
Da’ Vince “Dino” Wright
Game 1 Recap
I thought that the restful Knicks was coming into game 1 out of sync. Well, they fought back from an 11-point deficit to win by 10. The Knicks looked a bit sluggish in the beginning being down by 8 points in the first quarter. At halftime the Knicks were down by 7 points 48-55. My prediction and final score were looking intact until the 3rd quarter when the Knicks shook off the game rust and went to work. The San Antonio Spurs looked as if they basically ran out of gas. Keep in mind the Spurs went 7 games with OKC a few days ago. Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has no lift on jump shot and no strength in the paint. The swarming Knicks defense picked up the pace and gave the Spurs offense the fits. The Spurs only scored 40 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters combined while the Knicks added 57 points after being down at the half. The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson with 30 points while Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 26.
In-game adjustments
The San Antonio Spurs played inspiration in the first half but soon to run out of everything at home in game 1. The Knicks came out of the half time break with a renewed sense of how to play tough defense in the paint and on the perimeter. Knicks guard Josh Hart grabbed 15 rebounds and gave the Knicks second chance points and key positions for the win. There’s a huge difference between the regular season and the playoffs. The rules are the same but there’s more to how you play the game. In-game adjustments will be the key for both teams and the team that can make changes at critical times of the game will be the victors.
Injury Report
The only team with a player listed on the IR is San Antonio. Forward David Jones will miss the entire series with an ankle injury. Both teams are pretty healthy right now.
Players to watch
New York Knicks: PG Jalen Brunson, C Karl Anthony-Towns, G Josh Hart, F OG Anunoby, G Mikal Bridges and G Jose Alvarado. San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama (leads the team in points and rebounds), G D’Aaron Fox, G Stephon Castle, G Dylan Harper, SF Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. Keep an eye on both head coaches as well.
Game 2 Info
New York Knicks Vs San Antonio Spurs
Friday – June 35th – 7:30PM
TV: ABC
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Knicks leads the series 1-0
The Spurs dropped game 1 at home. They will be looking to tie the series up on Friday night. The Knicks are looking to steal game 2 and look to go back to New York seeking to sweep the Spurs and hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy at home. ESPN has the Spurs with a 56.8% chance of winning game 2. Remember the Spurs was favored to win game 1 of the series. The over/under is 214.5 so take the over in this one it’s the safest bet. I’m taking the Spurs by 12. The Spurs will need to keep D’Arron Fox on the floor to control the tempo of the game.
Final Score:
Knicks 114
Spurs 126