NBA Finals: How the Spurs short-circuited New York’s offense — and what the Knicks can do about it in Game 4

NEW YORK — Through the first two games of the 2026 NBA Finals, Victor Wembanyama had taken more shots outside the paint (22) than inside the paint (20). His first three shots of Game 3: an alley-oop dunk, a dunk after rolling to the rim following a low ball screen and a layup after catching a half-court alley-oop from Stephon Castle.

Wembanyama said at the San Antonio Spurs’ Tuesday practice that he didn’t emphasize point-blank, high-percentage looks at the outset of Game 3 any more than he would in any other game. But he did make it clear that he wants to own that high-value real estate in front of the rim.

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“Especially early in games, yeah, you have to put pressure on the rim, because it’s the most efficient shot. Then we look for other options,” Wembanyama said. “The goal is always to go inside. The best shot in the game is an alley-oop, the most efficient shot. But teams don’t just let you do that.”

The Spurs certainly didn’t let the New York Knicks do that in Game 3, allowing the hosts to take just nine field-goal attempts after a paint touch, down from 12 in Game 1 and 11 in Game 2, according to Second Spectrum tracking data. After scoring a playoff-leading 53.3 points per game in the paint in their run to the Finals, the Knicks have averaged just 42 points in the paint over the last two games — a mark that would’ve been the second-lowest in the regular season, ahead of only a Milwaukee Bucks team that prioritized 3-point volume and didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo for most of the season.

The process of tamping that number down and forcing an outward migration for New York’s offense, began with refusing to give the Knicks what they want.

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“Yeah, I mean, at this point when you’ve played a team so many times, you know what they’re going to do, they know what you’re going to do,” All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox said after the Spurs’ Game 3 win at Madison Square Garden. “They got us in rotations. It’s not a secret: Teams want to get Vic out of the paint. That’s not a secret.”

The most direct path to pulling Wembanyama away from the paint for the Knicks?…

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Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-06-10 15:37:00

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