NBA Finals: 3 reasons the Spurs won, and why the Knicks will answer back in Game 4

The New York Knicks are mortal, and the 2026 NBA Finals will not end in a sweep.

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Knicks, 115-111, in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks had won 13 straight playoff games with most of them coming in a rout, but the vibes were cursed by Donald Trump’s decision to attend the game and inconvenience everyone else in the arena. The Spurs came out hot in the first quarter, the Knicks roared back with a 42-point second quarter to take the lead going into halftime, and San Antonio held on in a tight second half to move the series to a 2-1 Knicks lead heading into a pivotal Game 4 on Wednesday.

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This was a winnable game for New York, and in some ways it feels like the Knicks blew a golden opportunity to take a 3-0 death grip on the series. There’s still so much basketball left to be played. Let’s dive into why San Antonio was able to score its first win, and why the Knicks should still win Game 4.

Victor Wembanyama’s lobs killed New York

Wembanyama was fantastic in the win, finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five stocks. The Spurs got their superstar big man going by finally getting him to the basket. Of Wemby’s 11 made field goals, eight of them came in the restricted area, and many of those were on lobs from San Antonio’s guards.

Wembanyama did a better job setting real screens in this game, and that set up opportunities to slip the screen later in the game that consistently caught New York off guard.

When in doubt, just throw it up where only Wemby can get it.

Wembanyama took 38 percent of his shots at the rim this year, which only ranked in the 33rd percentile of all big men. In the playoffs, that’s moved up to 44 percent. Wembanyama had a four-point play in this game, and the outside shot will always be part of his game. That’s just who he is as a player. Still, the opposing defense wants to make Wemby a jump shooter, and when he’s actually determined to get to the rim is when he’s at his best. Game 1 showed the limitations of Wembanyama’s handle in trying to create his own looks off the bounce. The Spurs wised up and used…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-finals-3-reasons-spurs-162823973.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-09 16:28:00

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