Knicks Seek to Make the Series 3-0: Hosting Spurs at Madison Square Garden

The Knicks' start to the series presented a high-tempo picture. The New York team beat its rival 105-95 in the first match played at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. In the second match played away again on Friday night June 5, the Knicks this time achieved victory with a narrow score of 105-104. The star name of the second encounter was Knicks centre Karl-Anthony Towns; the player's contribution of 21 points played a decisive role in his team leaving the parquet with a narrow margin. On the Spurs side, Victor Wembanyama, who won the Defensive Player of the Season title, gave the highest contribution to his team with 29 points, but this figure could not prevent the defeat. Before the third match, the Knicks are expected to use the home advantage and evaluate the opportunity to make the series 3-0.

The Knicks' path to the finals is full of statistics that have stood out in recent weeks. The New York team caught an 11-match consecutive winning streak in their play-off journey; in this series, they managed to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers with 4-0 series. After the 4-0 superiority taken against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks had a rest period without playing official matches since May 25. This rest period enabled the team to take the parquet more physically prepared in the finals. The Knicks are appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999; in that year's final, the New York team, which again faced the San Antonio Spurs, lost the series 4-1. On the Spurs side, they experienced a difficult series extending to seven matches with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals; they managed to advance to the finals with a 4-3 superiority.

The most critical encounter of the third match will again be between Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama. The Knicks' captain and point guard Brunson kept an average of 26 points and 6.8 assists per match throughout the play-offs; he is the leader of the New York team in terms of distributing passes, finding points at critical moments and controlling the team's tempo. On the Spurs side, Wembanyama's impact on defence and his 29-point contribution in the last match give hope. The 22-year-old French centre's superiority in rebound collection and shot blocks continues to be the strongest argument of the Spurs in the series. From De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell and Sixth Man of the Season Keldon Johnson, a higher contribution is expected; the contribution of these three names in the first match remained at a total of 19 points. The Spurs' rookie player Dylan Harper, the 20-year-old young point guard, is also one of the names expected to stand out in the rest of the series.

The match will start at Madison Square Garden at 20:30 New York time; it will take the parquet by 03:30 on Tuesday morning June 9 by Turkish time. The match will be broadcast live on the ABC channel and can be followed in Turkey via the S Sport platform. Due to the fact that US President Donald Trump will also be among the names attending the third match, the Knicks decided to increase security measures at Madison Square Garden. If the side that leaves the match victorious is the Knicks, who will carry the series to 3-0, New York may have the chance to declare the end of the series in the fourth match they will play on Wednesday, June 10. While the Knicks have had a season with a 30-10 superiority at home, the Spurs have reached a 30-12 table away; these statistics reveal the balance between the two teams.

Image: bbc.com