Category: Basketball

SAN ANTONIO — Bad leg? Bad shooting night? 

It doesn’t matter. Jalen Brunson is a bad, bad man. 

You knew it was coming. 

Anyone who has watched the Knicks this postseason should have known it was coming. 

Brunson carried the Knicks as they erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a 105-95 win over the Spurs on Wednesday night. It marked their 12th straight win and an important first punch in the series. 

It wasn’t at quite the same scale, but it felt similar to Game 1 of the conference finals against the Cavaliers. The familiar script felt like it truly got started midway through the fourth quarter. 

The score was tied 86-86 with 7:37 left in the game as Brunson checked back in. The Knicks have broadcast this same movie so many times before. The Brunson takeover was inevitable. 

“We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him,” coach Mike Brown said. “And he got it done for us, and that’s happened time after time after time.” 

Right away, Brunson got into the paint and made a layup to reestablish the Knicks lead. After a stop, Josh Hart corralled the rebound, led a fast break and dished to Brunson, who drew a foul and made both free throws to put the Knicks up four. Hart stole the ball on the other end, started another fast break and once again passed to Brunson, who finished it off. 

The Knicks led by six as Spurs coach Mitch Johnson called timeout. The first real audible “Let’s go Knicks” chants could be heard inside the Frost Bank Center. 

Another stop after the timeout. Another Brunson bucket. It was an 8-0 Knicks run, with all points scored by Brunson. 

It was like clockwork. 

But it wasn’t straightforward. The Spurs immediately responded with a 9-0 run — seven of which were scored by Victor Wembanyama — to retake the lead. 

No problem. Brunson went back to work. 

He batted OG Anunoby’s missed 3-pointer to Mikal Bridges, got it back, then drilled a 3-pointer to put the Knicks back ahead. De’Aaron Fox missed on the other end, and Bridges subsequently got fouled and hit two free throws. Wembanyama then dribbled the ball off his leg, and Brunson came down and hit a circus-like fadeaway over Devin Vassell to put the Knicks up six. That pretty much put away the Spurs. 

The Knicks closed on an 11-0 run. They outscored the Spurs by eight points in the fourth quarter. Brunson had 13 points in that quarter. 

“I don’t want to say calmness, but I think we know what we have to do,” Brunson said about the Knicks’ comfort when trailing. “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.” 

Brunson hurt his right leg — Landry Samet pushed Harrison Barnes into him — in the first quarter, checked out with 1:27 left in the period and went back to the locker room. He returned with 8:03 left in the second quarter. Brunson said afterward that he is “fine.” 

He was 7-for-22 overall and 1-for-8 from 3-point range across the first three quarters. Then, as he seemingly always does, he figured it out down the stretch. 

Chalk up another win for David vs. Goliath, as Brunson, who finished with a game-high 30 points, bested Wembanyama. The Spurs star had 26 points but on rough 6-for-21 shooting from the field. His defensive presence in the paint was felt early, but Brunson and the Knicks found ways to avoid him as the game went on. 

“I was bad tonight,” Wembanyama said. “It’s not more complicated than that. … I think we let that one go.” 

It wasn’t just a one-man Brunson show, though. Anunoby, who had been a nonfactor up until that point, had 12 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 17. He drilled back-to-back 3s early in the period, the second of which was right in Wembanyama’s face. 

Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter. It was really him who sparked the comeback and powered the offense for stretches when Brunson was struggling. 

Towns and Hart had 12 and 15 rebounds, respectively, bravely battling Wemabanyama on the boards. 

Landry Shamet provided 13 points off the bench, drilling 5 of 9 3-pointers. Mitchell Robinson played 12 minutes and grabbed six rebounds. Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado provided important minutes off the bench. 

Brunson’s supporting cast answered the call when needed. But this comeback doesn’t happen without Brunson delivering his latest — and so far, most important — signature clutch-time performance. 

Knicks fans had to wait 27 years to get back to the Finals. Forget that now, though. 

It’s been 41 days since the Knicks last lost. The dream run has reached new heights. 

A fan ran onto the court in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ Game 1 win in the NBA Finals, seemingly attempting to get a selfie with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and New York’s Mitchell Robinson.

Security at Frost Bank Center quickly descended on the interloper and ushered him off the court.

Wembanyama seemed to enjoy the bizarre scene, while Robinson was visibly befuddled. The fan ran onto the court with 6:32 left. It was a pivotal moment as the Knicks just took the lead 92-86, and the Spurs looked to answer back.

The fan seemed to have come from the opposite side of the team benches, and play was halted for roughly a minute. 

“A fan just ran on the floor and wants to take a selfie. Security quickly takes him away. Crowd gives him the appropriate boo, fortunately nobody hurt,” ESPN broadcaster Mike Breen said on air as the whole thing went down. 

“It’s just too good for that to happen,” analyst Tim Legler added on-air.

The referees were left to sort things out in the aftermath, opting to give the Spurs possession at midcourt. With the momentum altered, the Spurs, after the delay, went back on offense and missed a key shot.

The Knicks continued their strong second half and finished it out, winning 105-95.

The moment seemed to be more reminiscent of something that might happen at a soccer match than an NBA game. 

Inter Miami star and global soccer icon Lionel Messi has seen more than his fair share of overzealous fans who have jumped onto the field of play in attempts to get a photograph with him. 

There had also been a similar incident during the Super Bowl in February, when a person ran onto the field and was nearly tackled by Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams.

And whether it was worth the whole ordeal for the basketball fan who stormed the court on Wednesday night is yet to be seen. 

In Texas, it is a crime to go into a restricted area at a stadium.

A fan is on the court!

In the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, a young man ran onto the court and pulled his phone out to take a selfie. Security quickly swooped in and escorted the fan off the court in San Antonio.

Victor Wembanyama, who the fan was seemingly trying to get in the selfie, was standing next to Mitchell Robinson. The Spurs center laughed while the Knicks big man looked confused.

A fan runs on the floor during a live game to take a selfie with Victor Wembanyama (with a replay).

The refs call a jump ball. pic.twitter.com/Lw9clKrbVm

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) June 4, 2026

The Knicks were up 92-86 with 6:34 on the clock at the time of the incident. Play eventually continued with a jump ball.

The Knicks are playing in their first Finals since 1999. The series, which marks Wembanyama's debut in the Finals, is a rematch of that championship.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fan on floor stops play in Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals Game 1

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A fan ran onto the court midway through the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, appearing to try to take a selfie next to San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama.

The fan came from the sideline opposite the team benches, starting from behind the play and running into San Antonio's offensive end. The person was quickly pulled from the court by two security guards and it did not appear the person made any contact with Wembanyama or any New York players.

Play was stopped for about a minute before the game resumed with a jump ball. The fan was taken out of the court area through a baseline tunnel.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Spurs nuns have been a presence during San Antonio’s run to the NBA Finals, and ahead of Game 1, they shared a viral moment with one of the team’s biggest stars. 

The NBA’s social media account posted a video of the group of nuns appearing to pray with Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday.

The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama bowed his head and bent over to get close to the nuns as they prayed. 

The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco have been supporting the Spurs for decades and went viral earlier in the playoffs after they were spotted blessing Spurs center Luke Kornet ahead of Game 4 against the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. 

Their fandom dates back to the 1990s, and the group started cheering on San Antonio’s basketball team to share common interests and understand the students at St. John Bosco School. 

Wembanyama, 22, is among the group’s favorite players on the roster, Sister Margaret Natal told the San Antonio Express-News in May. 

“And, of course, Wemby,” she told the outlet, highlighting her admiration for the respect and care he shows toward his mother. “And, he’s an incredible athlete, too.”

Natal told the outlet that the nuns often pray for the Spurs. 

“We keep them in prayer, and it’s not, you know, for them to win,” Natal said. “It’s about good sportsmanship, that they remember who they are. That they are role models. We pray that they play to the best of their ability. We pray that they understand their responsibility.”

Like father, like son!

Dylan Harper is making his NBA Finals debut during his rookie season, as the San Antonio Spurs guard took on the New York Knicks in a rematch of the 1999 Finals. Game 1 was on Wednesday, June 3 in San Antonio.

The former Rutgers standout has been a key element of the Spurs' playoff run. He made a statement in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Harper had a standout night with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals. At 20 years old, he became the youngest player to notch a prestigious 4x5 game in the NBA playoffs.

People might be wondering where he gets his skills, and it turns out he has good genes.

This time, Gregg Popovich didn’t have to worry about the x’s and o’s needed to beat the Knicks.

The legendary Spurs coach attended Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs on Wednesday night in San Antonio in a rematch of the championship series from 1999 that earned him his first Larry O’Brien trophy and ignited the Spurs’ dynastic era.

The ABC broadcast captured the 77-year-old Popovich, who serves as San Antonio’s president of basketball operations, sitting in a suite at Frost Bank Center.

For Popovich, this series offers an enjoyable trip down memory lane since he won the first of his five championships 27 years ago when the Spurs beat the Knicks in five games.

San Antonio also won championships under the Hall of Famer’s tutelage in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.

Popovich coached some of these Spurs last year before he stepped away from his position after just five games following a health scare.

He posted a 1,390-824 record in his 29 season leading the franchise.

Popovich still stays close to the team, especially with phenom Victor Wembanyama, and helped the team upset the defending champion Thunder in the semifinals.

The former coach gave the team an earful after its Game 3 home loss to Oklahoma City, and the Spurs responded with a resounding 103-82 Game 4 win to even the series at 2-2.

The Spurs ultimately triumped in seven games to earn their first Finals bid in 12 years.

“We lost Game 3 … but that was the first time he walked into the locker room and was like, ‘Nah, that’s BS. That’s not how we play basketball,’ and obviously he had some choice words for us,” Spurs star guard De’Aaron Fox told NBC after the May 24 victory. “That was the first time all season that he came into the locker room right after a game and told us how he felt.”

The Spurs are hoping this postseason run can begin a similar dynastic era to the one Popovich oversaw, with the new core of Wembanyama and young guards Dylan Harper and Stefon Castle leading the way.

Adam Silver tried. Michael Jordan tried. Still, the James Dolan and Charles Oakley feud is alive and well.

With the Knicks playing in their first NBA Finals in 27 years, the commissioner was asked about the one Knicks legend missing from the alumni that have been filling Madison Square Garden this spring. Oakley, the bruising forward who spent a decade as a fan favorite in New York, has been at war with the controversial Knicks owner since his 2017 ejection from the Garden and the lawsuit that followed.

Silver said he wishes it were different.

“It is a shame in that I tried, Michael Jordan tried too, to broker peace between Charles and Jim Dolan,” Silver said before Game 1 of the Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. “Our efforts were unsuccessful. I think it’s unfortunate for the NBA that this is an ongoing situation."

Oakley was forcibly removed from his seat at the Garden during a Knicks game in February 2017 and arrested. He later sued Dolan and Madison Square Garden Entertainment, alleging assault and defamation. The case has dragged on through the federal courts for years.

Silver said the litigation has tied his hands.

“As you know, it’s currently wrapped up in litigation,” Silver said. “I tried my best. So I don’t really see anything else I can do at the moment.”

Charles Barkley was frustrated with the Knicks’ first-half defensive performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals — but had kudos for one bright spot on the other side of the ball.

During the “Inside the NBA” halftime show on Wednesday night, the Suns great laid into the Knicks for allowing wide open 3-pointers through the first half of Game 1 where the Knicks ended down 55-48.

“It’s really been terrible defense on the Knicks,” Barkley said when asked what the story of the first half was. “Cause if you actually look at [Julian Champagnie’s] threes. Why is he wide open? There’s no reason to be leaving him wide open.”

Champagnie led all scorers with 15 points in the first half, going 5-of-6 from the field, all of which came from 3-point range.

The Knicks were outshot from distance by the Spurs, who went 9-of-24 from three, while the Knicks ended the first half 6-of-20.

Barkley was impressed with Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored eight first-half points.

“The Spurs can’t guard the pick and roll. When [the Knicks] run the pick and roll with KAT they get something good everytime,” Barkley said. “We have to give KAT his flowers.”

Adam Silver is not budging on the 65-game rule. Stars and agents have pushed back since it took effect in the 2023-24 season, tying eligibility for the league’s biggest individual awards to playing in roughly 80% of the regular season. Speaking before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the NBA commissioner said the rule is doing exactly what the league wanted.

“I’m frankly not ready to support a change,” Silver said. “I just take a step back to the situation we were dealing with when we went into the last collective bargaining negotiation and put in place the 65-game rule.”

Silver said roughly a third of All-NBA players in the seasons leading up to the rule did not play in 65 games. The league and the National Basketball Players Association built in exceptions for players who fall short by a game or two.

Two exceptions were granted this season. Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, who missed time around the birth of his child, and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, who suffered a collapsed lung, were both ruled eligible for awards after appeals. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards applied for an exception and was denied.

“I think the rule is working,” Silver said. “Of course when we sit down to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the players, we are happy to talk about it.”

Silver did leave one door open. Asked whether the league should announce regular-season award winners at the end of the regular season rather than dribble them out across the playoffs, he said it was worth a look.

"That’s an interesting thought,” Silver said. “So we should look at that. “

From drama of the heart to drama on the hardcourt.

Actor and diehard Knicks fan Jerry O’Connell opened up to Page Six about the roller coaster of emotions leading to him attending Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night in San Antonio.

“I’ve had such a week,” O’Connell, the former “Jerry Maguire” actor, told Page Six while on the court at Frost Bank Arena. “First of all, that ‘Summer House’ reunion and the bombshells that people who have not been intimate with each other for years and years and now we’re here at Game 1.”

O’Connell, 52, loves the orange and blue, often having fun with members of Barstool Sports about the team’s rise to the premier franchise in the Eastern Conference.

With his favorite team in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, there apparently was no way he would be missing this moment — especially after the conference finals.

O’Connell admitted to turning off the television with the Knicks trailing the Cavaliers by 22 points in Game 1 before one of the most legendary comebacks in franchise history.

“I need to admit something… I turned off @nyknicks last night in the 4th quarter,” he posted on May 20.

“I will never miss another minute of this post season. I am ashamed.”

O’Connell spent the early hours of Wednesday seeing the sights in the region, posting regularly to his X account before the scheduled 8:30 p.m. ET tip-off.

His trip to Texas came one day after he clearly enjoyed the second part of the emotional “Summer House” Season 10 reunion on Tuesday night.

Exes Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula told the world that they did not have sex once during their four-plus-year marriage. They announced in January that they would be splitting.

“Kyle and I were bickering. I didn’t go to New Year’s with him, I spent it by myself,” Batula said during the show, according to Page Six. “He spent it deejaying at a restaurant. I woke up the next morning, I saw he was at a hotel in Hoboken. I’m going into 2026 wanting to have a fresh start and he’s doing the same s–t that he was doing that was pissing me off before.”

Jalen Brunson’s anger toward referee Scott Foster may have been equivalent to the size of Texas. 

The Knicks star was irate with the official with just under six minutes to play in the first half during the Knicks’ 105-95 Game 1 win in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night after no call was made when Spurs big man Luke Kornet landed on the ankle of Brunson after the guard fell to the ground driving to the hoop. 

Brunson, who finished with 30 points, went right up to Foster and yelled in his direction after a timeout was called. 

Another member of the Knicks quickly came and moved Brunson away, while Foster didn’t seem to pay any mind to the outburst and walked in the other direction.

“We were all bitching too much at the officials. Rick Brunson was great,” head coach Mike Brown said after the Knicks’ win. “He told me to shut the hell up, and he told the rest of the team to be quiet and leave the officials alone. It was great of him because we were all kind of losing our minds.”

The Knicks were trailing 37-32 at the time it occurred, and it came after Brunson seemed to be in some discomfort for the second time in the game. 

Kornet very clearly landed on Brunson’s ankle and he was quick to react in pain. 

Brunson grabbed at his ankle while on the ground and then was seen limping back to the Knicks bench during the timeout. 

He did remain in the game.

Earlier in the game, Brunson had to be subbed out after he was knocked into by Harrison Barnes, who seemed to hit Brunson’s right knee.

Mikal Bridges came into the game with 1:27 left in the first quarter, but Brunson returned to the game with roughly eight minutes left in the second quarter. 

The Knicks’ Celebrity Row staples traveled to San Antonio for Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the Spurs on Wednesday night.

Tracy Morgan, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet and Henrik Lundqvist were all spotted at Frost Bank Center for the rematch of the 1999 finals, a 4-1 series win by the Spurs.

Those diehards were decked out in blue and orange as their team entered Game 1 as road underdogs.

Jerry O’Connell, who was court side in a Knicks polo, told Page Six he was going through it after the “Summer House” reunion part 2 on Tuesday.

The Knicks are coming off a nine-day break after winning 11 straight games — completing series sweeps of the Sixers and Cavaliers, respectively.

New York star guard Jalen Brunson and his teammates have praised Knicks fans for their support on the road throughout the playoffs.

Back in New York, fans gathered for a watch party outside of Madison Square Garden after the NYPD lifted a ban on the outdoor party following the Eastern Conference finals celebration.

Earlier this week, the MTA also painted the Madison Square Garden subway stop orange and blue.

Morgan also teamed with the MTA to voice announcements in honor of the Knicks reaching the finals.

Game 2 of the NBA finals is Friday in San Antonio and the series shifts to New York for Game 3.

President Donald Trump plans attend Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York City, according to reporting from The Athletic and the New York Post.

The Athletic, a subsidiary of the New York Times, reported that Trump will attend the game on June 3 barring any changes to the president's schedule – citing anonymous league sources. The Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that security walkthroughs were held by MSG in preparation for the potential visit.

USA TODAY has reached out to the White House, Madison Square Garden, the NBA and the Knicks for comment.

Trump had previously suggested that he would go to one of the games at the Garden during a cabinet meeting at the White House on May 27, saying that Knicks owner Jim Dolan was among those who invited him.

The NBA Finals is not only the biggest series of the season on the court, but in the tunnel, too.

This year, the New York Knicks return to the championship for the first time since 1999. Lucky for them, '90s fashion is back. After breezing through the playoffs winning 12 of their 14 games, including two sweeps, Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson showed up ready for Game 1 on Wednesday, June 3 in San Antonio.

Their opponent will be a rematch of that 1999 series, the San Antonio Spurs in Victor Wembanyama's first NBA Finals appearance. The Alien showed lots of emotion after beating the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game Western Conference finals. Wemby has shown intentionality in his fashion choices, including this tribute to Tim Duncan's joe cool style.