A Way-Too Late and Overly Long Game 3 Primer

Better late than never, Jim Kevin, and I have a few thoughts in advance of Game 3. Take it away, gents!

1. So uh how’re we feeling heading into Game Three with uh [checks notes] the New York Knicks up 2-0 in the freaking NBA Finals and heading back to MSG?

BOBBY

It’s a totally foreign sensation, but I trust this team. I trust them to block out the noise and shoo away distractions, whatever form they may take. I trust them to deal with what’s sure to be a Roman Colosseum-grade vibe, with the madding crowd baying for (literal) blood. I trust them to deal with whatever fancy coverages and lineup changes the Spurs throw their way. I’d love these guys even if they hadn’t earned this degree of faith. But because I’m a Mets and Jets fan (I know, I know. Lol lmao. You played yourself, etc.) this is all so new to me. It’s a brave, new world for a lot of people ‘round these parts.

JIM

 I’ll be honest, I felt better when I woke up—before the fallout from THE THING really started to microwave-melt a whole lot of shit. 

Let me be clear: He is absolutely NOT going to ruin the vibes (or the ones that matter most, anyway). For three related but distinct reasons: 

• Despite whatever happens in the locker room beforehand, once that Wilson official goes up, the players will not be thinking about him. Like, at all. If anything, they’ll be using the anger/annoyance/inconvenience as rage fuel. Take heart in that.
• 🚨UNSOLICITED OPINION ALERT 🚨: He’s a complete fucking loser who thrives on the idea that he can somehow alter the course of history by his mere presence. That he chose to drag his pre-corpse to New York for this once-in-a-generation event—under the absolute delusion that he’s somehow helping matters—is obviously a massive inconvenience for so many reasons. But mostly it’s just really fucking sad. Whatever experience he thinks he’s having will be a complete hallucination. He probably won’t even stay (awake) the whole first half.
• The Mayor WILL be in the building. [Editor’s note: Mamdani bought standing room only tix. The people’s champ!] The confluence of his so-far-quite-successful mayorship and this team’s ascendance should be evidence enough that whatever vibe-shifting powers you ascribe to the Other Guy, Zohran is really That Guy.

Here’s the thing about this team: They just overcome shit. Down 2-1 to Atlanta (and the bad basketball that put them in a hole). The OG injury. The 22-point comeback. The Game 1 Jalen scare. That absolute travesty of a whistle last night.

Tonight is just the next inconvenience. And they’ll overcome it. Because that’s what they fucking do. Overcoming shit FEEDS the vibes!

KEVIN

I don’t want to discuss any of the various dignitaries in attendance. My position is—and I already put this on Bluesky so I’m granting myself a royalty-free license to repeat it—this: Who do we think is going to be more bothered by the potentially fraught environment surrounding this game? The team full of 22-year-olds who have never been down 2-0 before or the cultishly focused mentality monsters who woke up in their own beds and ate cereal with their kids (so to speak) this morning?

Could I be wrong about this? Sure. If I am, does that make me delusional? No. It means that something weird happened. This team has given us every reason to believe in them, has brushed aside every distraction, and has won in hostile environments over and over again. Their fans adore them and that will come through in spades in that building tonight. We owe them our trust. They’ve earned it.

2. No, I mean you, personally. How’re you guys holding up?

BOBBY

Previous paragraph aside, to be honest, I’m not handling this well. Yes, I know. I just was yammering about trust but like fellow ex-Knicks blogger Seth Rosenthal put it. I want the game to start now, now, now because the anticipation and looming sense of dread are making me want to pound nails into the floor with my forehead. I also wouldn’t mind if we all took a week off, maybe caught up on that book we’ve been half-reading in the john, or finished up all those pesky household errands/tasks we swore we were going to tick off our list, things of that nature. 

Time may be, like, you know, an artificial construct and shit, but its march is unstoppable and inexorable. Meaning: The game will arrive at some point after 8:30 pm ET, no matter how deep into my feels I sink. I watched the first two alongside my dad, sister, and brother-in-law. My niece announced she liked Stephon Castle, because he’s apparently enough of a presence on TikTok that she identified him during warmups. Good thing I did, because being around other people was enough to keep me from carving out my spleen with a shrimp fork when the Spurs invariably whittled the lead away. 

And yet, I didn’t really think they’d blow it. Somehow, I’m more worried about tonight’s tilt than Games One or Two. Of course I am. Worrying is my default mode, and anxiety is my mother’s milk. But I’m trying, Jennifer. I’m trying. I’ve posted a version of this sentence in I don’t know how many group chats and DMs, but we may have to wait another 25+ years before the Knicks get another shot at the shiniest of prizes. So why not enjoy it, yanno? 

JIM

Yesterday, I had to pick up pizzas for my daughter’s soccer party—at a random general store in our small Maine town (bangin’ ‘za, though). Another customer noticed my Knicks hat and struck up a conversation. He grew up in the Bronx, loves the Knicks, and was wearing a Rucker Park tee shirt, which I naturally complimented. He told me a story about running 11 straight at Rucker playing with Chris Mullin. His daughter was with him at the store. She worships Jalen Brunson—AND STUDIED HIS FOOTWORK. 

There are maybe seven four fans within a 30-mile radius of where we live. To call this encounter unlikely would be an understatement. We’re officially coming out of the woodwork. Like an army of perennially heartbroken basketball zombies. And we will rule the earth.

We can—and should—wax poetic, lovingly and at length, about the #vibes of this team. But it’s so much bigger than that, guys. This is as collectively joyous a sports moment as any in history. Nothing could possibly ruin it. NOTHING. Not even the THING THAT RUINS OTHER THINGS.

KEVIN

I woke up at 6:30 this morning with the strongest Start the Damn Game energy of my entire life. Nine  hours of capital-d Discourse about everything besides basketball has not changed this feeling. I’m not scared; I’m tense.

Why? Easy. Because we’re now two wins away and officially past the point where we can simply lose and feel grateful for the journey. If they lose now, after winning the first two on the road, they will have Blown It. I hate the idea that this season could possibly end that way. But it’s also the only way to get to the finish line, isn’t it?  I trust them. How could I not trust them?

3. With Brunson’s normally pristine mid-range game looking a little uh wobbly—don’t check the stats; it’s ugly stuff—a different ‘Bocker has stepped up to shoulder more of the scoring load each night. Will Jalen get back on track? 

Yes. Yes, he will. Jalen’s usually taken a few games in the playoffs to suss out the kinds of defenders and coverages he’ll need to navigate before going HAM. It happened in the Philly series way back in 2024, and he’s bricked normally makeable shots against the Sixers this year—and Atlanta and Cleveland, too. We’ve gotten three insane fourth quarter explosions by my count, but for the most part, his heroics haven’t been required. In any case, a big Jalen game is coming. Whether it’s tonight or Wednesday (or later), I have no idea. While we’re on the subject, we’re going to get a Josh Hart Game at some point in this series, too. 

JIM

Back closer to being on track? Yes. 

Wheels securely locked on the rails? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Look, the Spurs have undoubtedly found something with their SEC-cornerback coverage on Jalen. But there’s a pretty significant blind spot in that approach: With the 2026 New York Knicks, “Make anyone else beat us” almost invariably turns into “Holy shit, literally everyone else is beating us now.” 

I think the Knicks can still do more to free Jalen up: rely more on Hart and Mikal to initiate (with Cap leveraging screens/curls/relocations); using a few extra seconds to generate more advantageous switches; etc. But that can’t be the primary point of emphasis. These guys have redefined what a basketball blender can look like. Keep firing it up—and install a stronger fuse box if you have to.

KEVIN

I’m not in the business of predicting individual performances, it all just feels a little too fluky and small-sample-size. I will say that, given what we’ve seen from the Knicks this postseason and irrespective of the Spurs’ admittedly elite defense, we are due at least one game this series where the Knicks just come out and are hitting all their shots and simply win a game the normal way. Doesn’t have to be tonight, but given the energy that’s going to be coursing through the Garden, it totally could be.

Does that translate to Brunson middies? Maybe, maybe not. The bear case is that Wemby’s whole deal is destroying that part of the court and that the Spurs’ defensive length and focus on Brunson could make it too much to ask. The bull (in lowercase) case is that if we actually get a game where OG/Hart/Bridges/KAT are pouring in threes off of great ball movement at the same time – like we got at least once in each preceding series – they’re going to need to shift some focus away from Brunson. Hell, they even did it late in game 2 for a while. If that happens, and if Wemby’s help is being sent other places, and ESPECIALLY if they run the damn offense through KAT, the Spurs might have to decide to let Brunson middies beat them. But if all of that happens anyway, we’re already in pretty great shape, yeah?

4. What tactical and/or strategic adjustments do you think the Spurs will make, if any?

BOBBY

The Knicks’ offense started leaking oil in the fourth quarter of Game 2 because—paradoxically enough—they moved Wemby out from under the rim and stuck him in the corner. From there,  he could react to drivers who touched paint. This scheme is what led to the blocked shots on Hart and Brunson. It was still, technically, a ghost coverage (when Hart was on the floor) but it stopped him from lurching out to contest shooters beyond the arc. San Antonio also stopped sending a second defender at Brunson when he ran pick and roll or even a simple guard-to-guard flip, and trusted that Jalen would start eyeballing Champagnie or any non-Castle Spur like so much barbecued chicken, especially when he’s had Spurs draped all over him from the moment he’s tried bringing the ball up the floor. 

Speaking of which, I wouldn’t be surprised if this game were called a little tighter than the prior two—and maybe with less favoritism shown to the Texans, amirite? That should benefit Brunson as well. Hopefully, it doesn’t mean KAT picking up a few cheap whistles earlier than we’d like.

Still, Brunson (and Bridges and Shamet) missed wide-open looks from three that would have stemmed San Antonio’s charge long before things got hairy. What I mean is, I think San Antonio may be more willing to live with a better Jalen Brunson outing if it means keeping KAT in check. That was the biggest failing down the stretch on Friday: Our glorious big barely got any touches, let alone shots. But [points at my response to the previous question] I think they’ll figure this out, too. 

JIM

Besides giving the basketball to their 7’5” Demogorgon center within 15 feet of the rim with any kind of regularity? 

I wouldn’t be shocked if they busted out some kind of weird zone coverage—a hybrid box-and-one with Wemby patrolling the paint, perhaps (they tried something like this against the Warriors in the ’24 playoffs). The Spurs only ran zone on ~4% of their defensive possessions this year, so this would be as much an act of desperation as a sensible strategic gambit.

That’s not to say it couldn’t work in stretches. But there’s a reason NBA teams don’t try this bullshit very often: Good teams usually figure it out. Great teams will make you pull the plug so fast that sparks fly from the socket.

KEVIN

Wemby and Mitch Johnson keep talking like everything is fine and they just need to execute better. And, look, these games have been really close. Maybe they’re right. But I do think we’ve seen some adjustments already. I think the Knicks figured out how to beat all the trapping – have Hart or Deuce bring the ball up and find Brunson in the halfcourt to start actions; give Brunson outs when he crosses the timeline that give the Knicks 4-on-3’s – in a way that might mean it gets used more selectively today (though the Spurs would be silly to abandon it completely). I think we finally see more of the ball in Dylan Harper’s hands on the biggest possessions. I think having Wemby guard KAT AND play a lot of help defense AND play 35-40 mins AND stay out of foul trouble is too much to ask and he’s probably fully in free safety mode tonight. But what do I know? Don’t answer that!

5. Given that it’s been decades since MSG hosted the Finals, how insane do you think it’ll get in the World’s Most Famous? 

First of all, shout out to Josh Hart for saying that it’s insane to jack up the ticket prices so much that anyone without serious cash on hand can afford to buy a ticket. Not to engage in some light class warfare, but he’s right. For a hot minute, I was fretting that a Citizens of Panem-only crowd might not come loaded for bear. But then again, all those bastards still cling to the hardscrabble myths New Yorkers tell about themselves, that they all pulled themselves up by their bespoke bootstraps and had to scrap and claw for every inch, with doubters and haters deriding their efforts and chortling at their failures.That’s horseshit, of course, but it’s pretty to think so. 

They’ll also all swear by all that is holy and good that they, too, tore their hair out at, say, the Jerome James contract. It’s fine, really. We welcome all posers and bandwagon-jumpers. The more the merrier! (Not you, Dave Portnoy, you rent-seeking chud. You can go straight to hell!)

In any case, I think the city will bring the heat. And everyone yammering about who is and isn’t a real New Yorker can shut their goddamn piehole. You too, J-Lo. If you live here, you live here. Period. And I think the moment the Knicks start unloading on one of their now-patented barrages, it’ll be pure bedlam, with the foundations shaking and the heavens coming tumbling down. 

JIM

I think it’ll be VERY loud. Like fifth-percentile loud. Loudest MSG crowd ever? Even if most fans make the effort to get there early and survive Dolan’s Death Star-ass security apparatus relatively unscathed, it’s HIGHLY unlikely MSG will be filled to capacity by tipoff. 

If it’s close down the stretch and the Knicks need a couple timely stops to stave/spark the momentum? That’s another story entirely. At that point, I’d expect Zeus himself to tap the MSG roof with his broomstick with a yawping “WOULD YOU KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE!?”

I’m talking blood-bubbling loud.

KEVIN

I couldn’t tell you one way or the other about the first quarter because I don’t know how much of the crowd we’ll lose. I think if the game is competitive, though, big moments are going to get some of the loudest reactions we’ve ever heard in that building. And if it’s tight late, it might be once-in-a-lifetime stuff.

6. Okay, fellow Nostradumbasses, what’s your prediction?

BOBBY

Do I have to? [Editor’s note: Yes.] Fiiiiiiine. The Knicks win handily. There, I said it. Now I can’t take it back. Fuck it, we ball. 

KEVIN

The idea that we could actually sweep this thing just seems so beyond-the-pale to me. And, yet, here we are. These guys have gotta smell blood and, when that happens, they don’t usually miss their chances.

The reason the 2-0 on the road was such a big deal is precisely so we could afford to split these two games at home.  And, asked to bet my life on it, I would probably bet we will do just that.  But I also don’t think I would pick against us in either individual game.  I think, again, that we will actually come out hot in one of them – which hasn’t happened yet – and convert that into something akin to a wire-to-wire victory.  I don’t know if that’s tonight or not.

You’re not getting a precise score out of me, not today Satan, but let’s look at the facts here:

1. We have played this team 5 times, only once at home, and are 4-1 this season.
2. Their win was by 2 points, at home, in a game when Champagnie hit 11 threes.
3. In the two Finals games plus the NBA Cup final, none of which were at home, we went 3-0 and made the big plays down the stretch to win high-stakes games that could have gone either way.
4. It’s been over 6 weeks since the Knicks have lost a basketball game.

I’m sure as shit not picking against them, is my point.

JIM

The more I think about this, the more (potentially) poetic and beautiful finishing this off in a sweep would be. We’ve known for a while how much energy this team has spent shielding itself from the Dolan/MSG security state bullshit. There’s a chance tonight’s circus tests that resolve in an unprecedented way. Would I prefer the owner to be some woke billionaire and an actual healthy element within the broader team dynamic? Obvs.

 But for alternative narratives, playing sublimely beautiful ball en route to a historic playoff dismantling of everyone in front of them—in spite of an owner they hate and all the bullshit he’s attached to this otherwise orgasmic run—wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize, imho.

In the end, it was always about—and only about—the guys in that locker room and their collective belief in one another.

These guys are locked the fuck in. They overcome. And they will not be denied.

“Stay desperate at all times.” 

Knicks 112, Spurs 99.