The NBA Finals tipped off this morning in San Antonio, where the New York Knicks came back from a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105 – 95. Jalen Brunson propelled the Knicks to their 12th consecutive victory with a team and game high of 30 points, while Karl Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds in his finals debut. Stephon Castle scored 17, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each had 16 for San Antonio.
This year’s Finals is a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, bringing together two iconic franchises on the biggest stage once again. The Knicks are back in the Finals for the first time since 1999, while the Spurs return for the first time since 2014. The NBA Finals continue with Game 2 on Saturday, June 6 at 2:30 a.m. CAT in San Antonio, available on NBA League Pass, beIN, Canal+, SuperSport, Sporty TV and ZAP TV.
Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks
“I don’t want to say calmness, but I think we know what we have to do. I think we are a pretty together group. Be able to trust each other and still have each other’s back and know that we just have to keep chipping away, chipping away. It’s just a credit to the mentality that we have as a team. But we can’t just be satisfied with that. We have a long way to go, and we have a lot of things to do to be better, but happy we came away with a win.”
Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks
“It’s all about executing offensively, not putting your hands in a place where they could draw fouls, and also in being aggressive, not making stupid fouls, as well. So for me, I think in my aggression today, I committed, I’d say probably like two fouls I wish I didn’t commit. But at the end of the day, like you said, I think everyone in the building knew the game was going to be physical. It’s going to be high energy. Their fans brought it. But, you know, we knew we had to execute and stay disciplined throughout the game because it was going to be a hard-fought game and it surely was.”
Mike Brown, New York Knicks Head Coach
“He’s a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that’s what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him. And he got it done for us, and that’s happened time after time after time. He got to his spots and he made plays.”
Mitch Johnson – San Antonio Head Coach
“No different. We played a game. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted. There will be a lot of feedback from the film, breaking that down, that will lead to Game 2. Hopefully we use that information and tools and guidance to come out and be better that game.”
Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs
“We let them get an offensive rebound. So that’s on us. After that, that’s an experienced team, they know how to play with momentum. We had the momentum until late in that game. That’s why I said we let that one go.”