SAN ANTONIO — There wasn’t a whole lot for the New York Knicks to like about the final six minutes of the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday.
Yet despite blowing a late 14-point lead, the Knicks looked up at the scoreboard after the final buzzer and saw that they had somehow done just enough to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-104.
The result sends the Knicks home with a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, with Game 3 set for Monday.
An exhausted Jalen Brunson leaned on his teammates after the win and offered up a weak smile. It was his steal with 9.5 seconds to play and subsequent free throw that proved to be the decisive play and point in a slugfest that saw the last team standing prevail.
“We could have folded a few times, but our guys just kept fighting,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “They kept fighting, and you work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these.
“No matter what run (San Antonio) went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another. It’s an amazing feeling as a coach to know how mentally tough your team is no matter what the situation is in front of them.”
Brunson scored the Knicks’ first five points of the game but then went cold, entering the final quarter with just 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the floor.
San Antonio was making the Knicks star guard work for everything, and he was worse for wear, collapsing on the bench during each New York timeout down the stretch while trying to find the energy to help drag his team over the finish line.
“We have to do a good job of staying composed in those situations,” said Brunson, who finished with 20 points and just as many bruises. “Not (folding) in situations like that is key to winning games like this. At this stage of the season, things aren’t going to be pretty. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be grinded out. It’s simple as that.”
It was not easy. The Spurs were down 97-83 with 6:04 to play before their 14-0 spree, tying the game on Dylan Harper’s floater with 2:59 to play.
San Antonio shoved its way to the lead at 104-102 via a Victor Wembanyama three-point play with 57.3 seconds left. However, Brunson responded, pouring in a fadeaway jumper with 39.3 seconds remaining to level the score.
Brunson then missed a jumper with 13.5 seconds left, and Wembanyama grabbed the rebound. The Spurs star tried to pass to Stephon Castle, but Castle was not ready, and the ball bounced off his back and into Brunson’s waiting hands. Wembanyama fouled Brunson, setting the stage for the go-ahead free throw.
“That’s the most frustrating thing, to throw it away after putting in all this work,” said Wembanyama, who also missed a 20-foot shot in the final seconds. “I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours.
“But at this point, it’s done. Yes, 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.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team needs to bring the same intensity to the whole game as it had in its fourth-quarter comeback. With a young squad in the Finals spotlight for the first time, maturity and the ability to finish continue to be crucial factors.
“We showed tremendous desperation, urgency and competitive response (late in the game),” Johnson said. “We don’t feel like we played well, or up to our standard at least, in the last two games. New York has played very well, and that’s a part of that.
“But we’re going to go into Game 3 — if we play our brand of basketball up to our standard, we’ll be just fine.”
The Spurs might have the NBA’s ascending superstar player as the backbone for a youthful team with a high ceiling. But New York has Brunson, and he, along with a squad that keeps winning, presents a formidable obstacle for San Antonio to overcome.
The Knicks recorded their 13th straight postseason victory, moving them into second place all-time for consecutive playoff wins behind the Golden State Warriors (15 in 2017).
“I don’t know if you could say it was a rough shooting night (for Brunson),” said New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who led the team with 21 points and 13 rebounds. “I see ‘Captain Clutch’ doing what he’s always been doing since I got here. When it comes down to winning the game, No. 11 can’t be messed with.”
