Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns put the Knicks' two-game advantage into perspective following New York's near collapse in which it trailed 104-102 with 57 seconds left and was a Victor Wembanyama shot away from a 1-1 tie.
"Every single day, we try to chip away, trying to be the best team we can be," said Brunson, who scored the Knicks' final five points, tying and ultimately taking the one-point lead along the way. "I think our mindset was 0-0, not being up 1-0. Even with what the series is now, next game, mindset has to be 0-0 again. It's just how it has to be. You can't be comfortable, you can't be satisfied with anything. You've just got to continue to push forward."
New York overcame Brunson's 20 points on 7-of-25 shooting with Towns' 21-point, 13-rebound double-double and play against Wembanyama -- the game-high scorer with 29 points -- to fend off the Spurs, who trailed 97-83 with six minutes left after OG Anunoby's dunk assisted by Towns.
"I have been on the other side where you're a young team and you're trying to do a lot to win the game," Towns said. "I think that, for us, we keep leaning on experience and we keep leaning on the word 'execution' and I think we did a good job when we needed to, executing, but we didn't do as well as we wanted to. So, when we get back to New York, we'll get back to work, we'll get back to the gym and try to correct the mistakes we made tonight."
Monday's 8:30 p.m. Game 3 at The Garden awaits with the Knicks expecting the Spurs' best.
"Knowing them, there's definitely another level," Brunson said. "We've got to be prepared and ready to match it, be ready to play for 48 minutes and, no matter what goes on throughout a game, just having each other's back, regardless of what's going on -- who's on a run, who's not, who's up, who's down. Just making sure that we're playing together for 48 minutes is really important."
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 4: Kevin Love #42, Lauri Markkanen #23 and Jaren Jackson Jr. #20 of the Utah Jazz look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 4, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David DowNBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The NBA can be pretty simple. There’s one ball and five players. If you have one of the best players in the league handling the ball the majority of the time, your team is going to win a lot of games. The issue that teams run into is the salaries. Teams rise and fall with the balance of contracts that fit into a team’s timelines and windows.
How many teams have fizzled because a team had no cap room to improve? That’s every team, actually. As teams fill their rosters, typically in the draft, those players eventually run out their contracts and will demand the most possible. The best teams in the league will make sure they’re constantly replenishing their team with young players from the draft. If teams run out of draft picks, it’s inevitable that the cap or age catches up to them. The best example of this came from the Jazz four seasons ago. Utah had gone all in on a Mike Conley trade as they tried to maximize on their two-man core of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. With the picks gone from the Mike Conley trade, and with some bad drafting (looking at you, Udoka Azubuike), the Jazz maxed out their potential and had no way to improve because they were capped out.
Beyond the potential of being the best prospect in Jazz history, the #2 pick is valuable for what it does for the Jazz cap as well. Having a player like AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson is incredibly valuable. But having them on your team, secured on a rookie contract, means the Jazz can also maximize every other position.
Next season, Utah will be giving $49M to Jaren Jackson Jr., $46M to Lauri Markkanen, and they’ll likely be giving somewhere between $25M and $30M to Walker Kessler, and Keyonte George is going to get paid soon too. That’s a situation that doesn’t leave anything for signing players in free agency, outside of exceptions like the mid-level exception.
But that’s what makes the #2 pick even more valuable. That core of George, Kessler, Markkanen, and Jackson, with Ace Bailey on a rookie contract, is great. Now? The Jazz will add another rookie contract in either Dybantsa or Peterson. And what if Dybantsa or Peterson are as good as people hope? Having a tier-1 prospect making $13M over the next four years is incredible. Down the road, Utah will have to make decisions on their contracts, but for now? They’re sitting pretty and can keep this current roster together as long as they’re willing to pay the tax.
With the draft just weeks away, Utah has to be excited about the chance to add not only a generational prospect, but one that will also fit into a rapidly rising cap situation for the Jazz. Currently, FanDuel has the odds of AJ Dybantsa at -450 so it seems likely that Darryn Peterson is likely going to be on the Jazz.
The game saw both teams hold leads as large as 12 points. The Knicks trailed the Spurs 34-25 at the end of the first quarter and did not see their first lead of the game until the final minutes of the second quarter.
New York went back to the locker room at halftime with a 56-52 lead after outscoring San Antonio 31-18 in the second quarter and carried its momentum into the third quarter.
The Knicks led the Spurs 84-75 after three quarters ... before the game’s final quarter helped the contest live up to the standard set for the series.
9:35 left: Tension began to rise when De’Aaron Fox of the Spurs and Jalen Brunson of the Knicks had a stare down. Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, Jalen Brunson's father, was visibly unhappy with the situation and was briefly held back by Knicks head coach Mike Brown on the bench.
9:11 left: The Spurs began to pick up the pace in the final frame, cutting the Knicks' lead down to five after Dylan Harper made a shot under the basket. New York led San Antonio 87-82.
2:59 left: San Antonio managed to gain some momentum late in the quarter after Dylan Harper scored under the basket to tie the game with the Knicks at 97. San Antonio went on a 14-0 scoring run to even the score.
57.3 seconds left: Victor Wembanyama had previously made a layup off an assist from Dylan Harper to give the Spurs a 103-102 lead with 57.3 seconds left in the quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns was called for his fifth foul on the play, sending Wembanyama to the line before a successful free-throw attempt.
13.6 left: With the game tied at 104, Wembanyama grabbed the defensive rebound after Jalen Brunson missed a jump shot. The Defensive Player of the Year attempted to pass the ball toward point guard Stephon Castle, who wasn't looking. Brunson then swooped in and stole the ball before colliding with Wembanyama, who was called for a foul.
7.5 left: Brunson made just one of his two free-throw attempts to give the Knicks a 105-104 lead.
0.0 left: Wembanyama had a clean look for a potential game-winner but missed the shot on the final possession as time expired. The Knicks won 105-104 and will return to New York with a 2-0 lead and a chance to sweep the series and capture their first title since 1973.
Victor Wembanyama walking off the floor after going down 2-0 to the Knicks in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/iBlYqZ1VQP
Not with Karl-Anthony Towns playing some of the best basketball of his career. Not with Jalen Brunson en route to establishing himself as a household name.
For the Spurs, Game 2 was equivalent to Game 7. It was do or die.
The Spurs’ magical run is over. Have teams come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals? Yes, but it’s rare. Teams trying to claw their way out of that hole are 5-31. No team has ever done it after losing two straight at home.
Against the surging Knicks, it’s improbable. Impossible. Fantasy.
A dejected Victor Wembanyama walks off the court after the Knicks’ Game 2 win over the Spurs. AP
This was supposed to be the coming-out party for Victor Wembanyama as the next face of the league. His inauguration into basketball royalty. His red carpet walk into the history books.
Instead, he spent the first half of the game owned by Towns, who held the 7-foot-4 phenom to just seven points and five rebounds over that period before he exploded for 22 second-half points in a failed attempt to save his team’s season.
“Lots of emotions of every type,” Wembanyama said. “I mean, not every type, only the negative type. Yeah, I threw that one away. I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it’s done. Yes, am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
This was supposed to be the San Antonio’s reclaiming of the basketball world after missing the playoffs six straight seasons following 22 consecutive postseason appearances, including winning five championships over that period.
Instead, it felt as though Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” was the soundtrack for Friday evening on and off the court as Knicks fans took over Frost Bank Center.
During the national anthem, Knicks fans shouted “Go Knicks” so loudly that it could be heard across the arena. In the hallway at halftime, New Yorkers clad in blue and orange jerseys gathered in groups loudly cheering for their team, drowning out Spurs fans’ breathless attempts to be heard over them.
Wembanyama & Co. tried to turn things around in the second half.
Victor Wembanyama battles for a rebound with OG Anunoby (left) during the Knicks’ Game 2 win over the Spurs. Jason Szenes for New York Post
The Spurs went on a 14-0 run to tie the score at 97-97 with 2:59 left. Wembanyama led the way. He tried to play hero.
But it wasn’t enough.
After Wembanyama made a pair of free throws to tie the score at 104-104 with 39.3 seconds left, he missed a 17-foot pull-up jumper, threw the ball away while attempting a pass to Stephon Castle and then missed a go-ahead 20-foot attempt with two seconds left.
“I’m still very blurry,” Wembanyama said when asked what happened on those possessions. “That’s the whole problem. I need to have more poise, more control over the game.”
Now the Spurs’ season is swirling the drain.
After the Spurs’ 105-95 loss in Game 1, they were nonplussed. The 21-year-old Castle called San Antonio the better team. The 22-year-old Wembanyama seemed surprisingly calm and claimed he wasn’t worried. Their youth revealed itself in unearned cockiness.
Now it’s time to panic.
Up until this point, the Spurs’ postseason run was remarkable. Wembanyama is going to take over the league. The Spurs are going to win multiple championships under him. He’s the real deal.
But the Larry O’Brien Trophy is now promised to the Knicks.
Wembanyama’s inexperience is showing. He didn’t have the requisite hunger at the start of the game. He had a hangover from the thrill and excitement of the Spurs’ Game 7 win over the reigning champion Thunder.
He didn’t take the moment seriously enough.
Now the Spurs’ magical season is teetering by a hair over the precipitous cliff of a long offseason of regrets and what ifs.
It felt like eons since Jalen Brunson had looked so cold in such a big moment, missing open shots he could normally hit with his eyes closed. The Knicks superstar had made seven shots. He’d missed 18, the last coming on a go-ahead attempt from the elbow with 15 seconds left, giving the Spurs a chance to hold for the final shot of regulation in a tie game.
Jalen Brunson had an up-and-down night in the Knicks’ 105-104 win over the Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 5, 2026 in San Antonio. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Even on this miserable shooting night — even if there was a draft of every player in NBA history — the Knicks had the only player they would ever want at the line with the game on the line.
Brunson made the first, putting the Knicks ahead. Then, the impossible: his first missed free throw of the NBA Finals, putting the Knicks in jeopardy of returning to New York with the series even.
Brunson finished with 20 points (7-for-25 from the field, 2-for-8 on 3-pointers), six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns celebrate the Knicks win. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
“We had to do a good job of staying composed in those situations,” Brunson said. “It’s a credit to the character that this team has. Not being able to fold in situations like that is key to winning games like this. At this stage of the season, things aren’t going to be pretty. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be grinded out. It’s simple as that.”
Brunson shot 12-of-31 in Game 1, but finished with 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to clinch the Knicks’ first NBA Finals win in 27 years. The Spurs did everything to ensure he wouldn’t maintain his momentum, guarding him 94 feet, blitzing him with double-teams and bumping him at every opportunity.
“We’re just trying to make it difficult on him,” Fox said. “I think we’ve done a good job in both games. He’s made big shots at the end of games. He’s a hell of a player.”
Jalen Brunson and Spurs guard De’aaron Fox have a heated moment during the Knicks’ Game 2 win over the Spurs. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
As the Spurs rallied back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, Bruson struggled, getting blocked on a drive with four minutes left, then missing back-to-back 3-pointers.
Finally, the clutch gene kicked in as Brunson converted a reverse lay-in over Wembanyama with 1:56 remaining to put the Knicks up by three, then delivered a patented midrange jumper to even the score with 39 seconds remaining.
“For J.B., you call it rough shooting nights, I see him hitting the free throw to give us the game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “The last game, he hit some of the craziest shots I’ve seen to give us the game … I see Captain Clutch doing what he’s always been doing since I got here … No. 11 can’t be messed with.”
If you asked a Knicks fan to describe the ideal version of how they want to see their team play, they would end up describing this season’s version of the Knicks: a grind-it-out collection of men who are determined to fight it out for 48 minutes and outlast the opposition.
If you asked coach Mike Brown that question, coming off a 105-104 Game 2 win to make it 13 consecutive playoff victories and a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, he’d likely say the same.
“We could have folded a few times,” Brown said in describing his side’s resilience in withstanding seeing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate in a matter of moments before a single free throw proved the difference as the Knicks held Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs scoreless in their final three possessions to seal the win.
“But our guys just kept fighting. They kept fighting. And the one thing I told them that you work on connectivity throughout the course of the year for moments like these.
“And no matter what run they went on, no matter what time of the game, our guys just kept uplifting one another, not just the guys on the floor but the guys on the bench. They just kept uplifting one another throughout the course of San Antonio's runs.”
With 6:04 to play in the game, OG Anunoby's two-handed slam past Wembanyama put the Knicks up 97-83. The Knicks wouldn't score for the next three and a half minutes before Anunoby put in three at the free throw line to break a tie.
The message from Brown during the Spurs’ run: “Stay composed.”
Jalen Brunson, who was 2-for-10 from the field in the second half, scored the Knicks' final five points, including hitting a layup to put them ahead three on a nice in-bound play and a fadeaway to level the score with 39 seconds remaining.
"We do a good job of staying composed in those situations," Brunson said. "It's a credit to the character that this team has, not being able to fold in a situation like that is key to winning games like this.
"At this stage of the season, things aren't gonna be pretty. It's gonna be ugly. It's gonna be grind it out. It's as simple as that. No matter what the situation is, we're gonna have each other's back."
Brown said that connectivity, established during the 53-win regular season and ironed out over three playoff series wins, “paid huge dividends for our group” on Friday night in San Antonio.
"It's an amazing feeling, as a coach, to know how mentally tough your team is -- no matter what the situation is in front of 'em," Brown said. "To see them continue to fight and fight and fight and fight -- no matter what the score is, no matter how much time is on the clock -- it's just a fantastic feeling.
"I'm telling you, man, the NBA is tough. You don't experience what I'm experiencing with this group a ton, and it is a fricking joy to be around."
This is why there was so much attention around Mitchell Robinson and his injury.
So much concern that he might be compromised. So much emphasis throughout the year on keeping him healthy.
It was the matchup — and perhaps the moment — everyone knew he would be needed for.
Jalen Brunson’s free throw gave the Knicks a one-point lead, and the Spurs called timeout with 7.5 seconds left.
It was obvious who would take the last shot: Victor Wembanyama. And it was obvious who the Knicks would want contesting that shot: Robinson.
Mitchell Robinson blocks Stephon Castle’s shot during the second half of the Knicks’ 105-104 win over the Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 5, 2026 in San Antonio. Jason Szenes for New York Post
De’Aron Fox got the inbounds pass. Wembanyama set a screen for him, and Fox passed it back. Wembanyama rose up for a 20-footer.
Mitchell Robinson and the Knicks celebrate their Game 2 win. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
But Robinson contested the shot well, forcing the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama to fade away. It hit off the side rim, securing the Knicks’ 105-104 Game 2 win over the Spurs on Friday night at the Frost Bank Center for take a 2-0 lead in the Finals.
The possession prior, with the game tied, Wembanyama missed as well. And it was Robinson defending him.
“Wemby is iconic,” coach Mike Brown said. “There is nobody like him. He can score from all three levels. He wants the ball. Two big possessions at the end of the game, we put Mitch on him. What I’m proud about more than anything else, Mitch defended him the right way. Wemby is iconic. If he makes a shot, he makes a shot. You’re not blocking his shot. You make him work, you lead with your chest. You show your hands and you embrace those details while trying to guard him and then box out.
“It started with Mitch and it ended with the other four guys boxing out. So just a heck of a job by Mitch guarding the most iconic player in the world on two possessions to possibly win the game. Phenomenal.”
Robinson had surgery to repair a broken fifth metacarpal he sustained between the conference finals and the NBA Finals. There was uncertainty whether he’d be able to play, and even if he did, how effective he could be.
On the two biggest defensive possessions of the game, he was the difference-maker.
“I know we needed stops and I had picked up a few fouls on him,” Robinson said. “I think, what, three, like early on? So in my mind, I was just like, defend without fouling. So that was kind of like how it went. Just great contest, and just kind of how it went.”
Robinson is the longest-tenured Knick. He was with the team at its rock bottom. He was part of its rise.
And now on the biggest stage, he made a game-sealing impact.
“It was crazy,” Robinson said. “Been here for eight years, now here we are in the Finals. I can truly say I done seen it all. It’s wild.”
Chalamet, the “Dune” actor, hugged one person in the bowels of the arena before making a beeline toward the “Meet the Parents” actor for a powerful embrace, as seen in a video shared by Yahoo Sports.
Stiller was smiling ear to ear as he reveled in the Knicks taking a commanding 2-0 series lead, despite New York nearly blowing a fourth quarter lead as the Spurs went on a furious late run.
Ben Stiller celebrates during the Knicks’ Game 2 win at the Frost Bank Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But Spurs star Victor Wembanyama turned the ball over in the waning seconds with an errant pass and then fouled Jalen Brunson, who converted 1 of his 2 free throws to give the Knicks the lead. Wembanyama, with a chance to give the Spurs the win at the other end, missed a buzzer-beater to seal San Antonio’s fate.
Chalamet and Stiller have been a fixture at Knicks games — at both Madison Square Garden and on the road — throughout the years, but they’ve had a noticeable presence during this run to the NBA Finals.
New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas – New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns father Karl Sr. and Timothee Chalamet celebrate at the end of the fourth quarter of NBA Finals Game 2 on June 5, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostNew York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas – Actor Timothy Chalamet reacts in the crowd during the second quarter of NBA Finals Game 2 on June 5, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
To that end, on Thursday, Chalamet posted a picture to his Instagram story where he had plastic bags of ice covering both of his knees. In a follow-up story he wrote: “Ppl underestimate the wear and tear on the body of a fan throughout the playoffs,” Chalamet said in a corresponding Instagram story post. “Self care is important.”
The best self care for Chalamet and Stiller might be two more wins for their beloved basketball team.
SAN ANTONIO — Jalen Brunson scored the game-winning point. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns had big games. The Knicks bench was terrific again.
But the MVP of the Knicks’ franchise-record 13th straight playoff victory may have been an assistant coach.
Jordan Brink, the team’s director of video services and player development, being able to convince coach Mike Brown to challenge a call late in the fourth quarter was pivotal in the Knicks’ dramatic 105-104 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center. They lead the NBA Finals 2-0 after becoming the third road team to win the first two games of the finals.
OG Anunoby gets fouled on a 3-point attempt in the fourth quarter. AP Photo/David J. Phillip
The Knicks had blown a 14-point lead. Momentum had flipped. The official had ruled that the ball had gone out of bounds off OG Anunoby while he attempted a 3-pointer. But Brink felt there was a foul on the play with 2:37 left.
After a review, the call was reversed. Anunoby was headed to the free-throw line for three attempts.
Jordan Brink (left) was the Knicks assistant behind the crucial decision. NBAE via Getty Images
OG Anunoby gets fouled on the 3-point attempt and it causes him to throw the ball out of bounds, the refs call a Spurs' ball. The Knicks successfully challenge the call, and OG makes all the clutch free throws pic.twitter.com/1yRW4baTNm
“Jordan, he’s been a master at this,” Brown said of the assistant coach, who played at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Later, on Brink, Brown added: “He’s been doing this now two years in a row. I rely totally on him. Every once in a while I lose my mind, get emotional, and try to stick it to the refs, even though I like all of them. But that never works. So I try like heck to follow Jordan’s lead, and it was 100 percent his call.”
Og Anunoby reacts to a call during the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Just as importantly, Anunoby stepped to the line and made all three free throws. He wasn’t surprised the call was changed.
“It was a foul, so I was surprised they didn’t call it initially,” said Anunoby, who had 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 36 quality minutes. “Jordan Brink did a great job of letting the coaches know. … I think it was big, especially because it was three extra points.”
It helped stop the Spurs’ momentum. Without that successful challenge, the Finals may be headed back to New York tied at 1-1.
Victor Wembanyama said the focus has already shifted to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but the final three possessions of Game 2's one-point loss to the Knicks will long linger in the Spurs star's mind as San Antonio missed an opportunity to complete a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback and New York grabbed a 2-0 series lead.
Twice, he missed pull-up jumpers over Mitchell Robinson, the second just before the buzzer to seal a 105-104 Knicks win, sandwiched around a costly turnover as he threw the ball off teammate Stephon Castle's back in the backcourt and set up Jalen Brunson’s game-deciding free throw.
“I’m still very blurry, and that’s the whole problem,” Wembanyama said about the game’s final moments. “I need to have more poise, more control over the game.”
Wembanyama called the turnover “the most frustrating thing.”
“To throw it away after putting in all this work,” he said, adding the urgency of the moment, getting the rebound and pushing the ball up the court led to the mistake. “The body reacts quicker than the mind.”
Coming off the floor, he said he had “lots of emotions of every type,” before correcting himself, “not of every type, only the negative type.”
“I threw that one away, I messed up,” he said. “We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point it’s done.
“Am I gonna regret it? Yes, of course. Am I gonna use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”
On the final possession, Wembanyama got a good look off a pick-and-pop for a 20-foot jumper to steal the game, but the jumper with two seconds left hit back iron.
“I liked the shot, but I feel like in this moment you need to shoot to score,” he said. “And in moments like this, results matter more than process. We just need to score, I need to score.”
The Spurs had done the hard part. After the Knicks' lead hit 97-83 with 6:04 to play, San Antonio would score 12 straight in the next 129 seconds, a run interrupted but not halted by two Mike Brown timeouts.
After Brunson missed a pair of shots, the latter a wide-open three-pointer, pushing the Knicks’ cold streak to six straight off the mark, the game was tied with three minutes remaining as Dillon Harper laid it in at the other end with 3:00 to play. The Spurs would then score on four of their next five possessions and held a two-point lead with under a minute remaining.
“I think we need to put ourselves in better conditions,” Wembanyama said. “We’re digging ourselves a hole, that’s been a theme so far.”
The hole came from the Knicks dominating the middle quarters, outscoring their hosts 59-41.
Wembanyama was a bit of a non-factor in the first half, attempting just four shots in his first 18 minutes.
“I have to make sure that there are environments that the ball finds him,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of the low shot total. “He’s gotta make sure that he can’t rely on that to get shots, as well. And I think there are times, when he was open on rolls around the paint and his teammates gotta get him the ball.
“... But, yeah, four shots in a half, on this stage, is not acceptable.”
The Spurs’ star was an even plus-minus and had just seven points, five rebounds, two blocks, one assist, one steal, and two turnovers. (He turned it around, scoring 22 points in 22 second-half minutes on 9-for-17 shooting.)
Karl-AnthonyTowns took full advantage, scoring 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting (3-for-5 from deep) with seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, a block, and was a plus-13 in 18 first-half minutes.
Wembanyama called Towns a “very different” big man from the ones the Spurs faced in earlier rounds.
“It’s bringing us into difficult areas because they’re good players and he’s a good player,” Wembanyama said of Towns. “We just need to figure it out, we need to keep working at it... We can do a little bit better; we can do better defensively.”
The Knicks withstood the Spurs' nine-point advantage in the first and fourth quarters, the latter of which included a 21-5 run over five minutes and a two-point San Antonio lead with 57 seconds left, before emerging from Friday's 105-104 NBA Finals Game 2 win.
"It's an amazing feeling, as a coach, to know how mentally tough your team is -- no matter what the situation is in front of 'em," Mike Brown said. "To see them continue to fight and fight and fight and fight -- no matter what the score is, no matter how much time is on the clock -- it's just a fantastic feeling. I'm telling you, man, the NBA is tough. You don't experience what I'm experiencing with this group a ton, and it is a fricking joy to be around."
New York needed Jalen Brunson's game-tying bucket at the fourth quarter's 39-second point and 1-of-2 mark from the free-throw line 20 seconds later before surviving on Victor Wembanyama's go-ahead attempt, which missed with two seconds left and secured the Knicks' 2-0 series lead.
"It's 0-0 at this point, as far as we're concerned," Josh Hart said. "Being up 2-0 means, really, nothing. This team's going to come out on, what, Monday with an unbelievable amount of energy and desperation and we've got to be better."
Regardless of New York's outlook, the MSG environment figures to be a raucous one with the Knicks two wins away from the franchise's first NBA championship since 1973.
"Hectic," Miles McBride said as New York's focus shifts to Monday's 8:30 p.m. Game 3 at The Garden. "I'm sure it's going crazy right now. We heard New York here, down in San Antonio, so ... I don't even know what I'm expecting, honestly. It's going to be great. I'm excited."
With the ball in his hands and the final buzzer nearing, Wembanyama unfurled his 7-foot-4 frame for a clean look at a long two-pointer at the right elbow that would have tied these Finals at 1-1. But the shot was just long, and bounced off the rim as the Knicks celebrated their 13th consecutive victory in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
"A great player got a great shot. It just didn't go in," New York forward Karl-Anthony Towns said postgame on ABC's broadcast.
KNICKS GET THE HUGE DEFENSIVE STOP TO WIN GAME 2 🚨
Now, the Spurs face Game 3 on June 8 at Madison Square Garden in New York with a 2-0 deficit dogging them.
Wembanyama recovered from the "shock," as "Inside the NBA" analyst Charles Barkley called his first-half performance, to finish Game 2 with a game-high 29 points and 9 rebounds. But New York's trio of Towns (21 points), Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson (20 points each) continued the Knicks' torrid playoff run.
The Knicks managed to fend off the Spurs’ late rally in the fourth quarter to secure a 105-104 victory. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for New York with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges each scored 20 points.
Fans were offered the chance to attend watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden and at SummerStage in Central Park in New York on Friday night.
Midtown turned into a sea of blue and orange Friday night as thousands of “exhilarated” Knicks fans flooded the streets outside Madison Square Garden after their hometown team won Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Chants of “Go New York, go New York, go New York, go!” and “Knicks in four!” echoed down Seventh Avenue and drivers could be heard honking their horns in their own show of support one block away.
Knicks fans celebrate the team’s win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals outside Madison Square Garden on June 6, 2026. Michael Nagle for NY PostFans hold up a Jalen Brunson cutout during a wild celebration outside Madison Square Garden on June 6, 2026. Michael Nagle for NY Post
The party kicked off hours earlier as diehards secured spots at a watch party outside the World’s Most Famous Arena more than four hours before the 8:42 p.m. tipoff.
“I feel exhilarated,” said Lester Alexander, who was equipped with a Knicks flag attached to a broomstick.
“I can’t be happier. As a New Yorker, nothing could ruin my day now, my week, my month, my summer,” the 27-year-old, who goes by “Les,” told The Post.
Les, a Harlem native, already had grand plans for a possible Knicks title.
“I’m gonna propose to the most beautiful woman I’ll meet that night. ‘Cause right now I’m single. And if I don’t find nobody I’ll just marry the game,” he declared.
A Knicks fan holds up a broom after the team took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals over the San Antonio Spurs on June 5, 2026. Michael Nagle for NY PostKnicks fans crowd both sides of the street outside Madison Square Garden on June 5, 2026. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post
Gary Charles, 31, who watched the game at a separate watch party inside MSG, said, “we’re literally writing history right now.”
He was amazed at “just the amount of people that’s coming out to just support the Knicks,” adding that “it’s magnificent, beautiful.”
Reacting to the Knicks’ 105-104 victory over the Spurs, Charles’ 33-year-old friend told The Post that “it’s a blessing.”
“A Championship win,” he said, “would unify the city, it would bring the city up in many ways, people not even realizing, you know what I’m saying? Economically, socially, emotionally.”
A person in a Spiderman costume is carried through the crowd of Knicks fans outside Madison Square Garden. Aristide Economopoulos for NY PostKnicks fans celebrate the team’s win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals during a watch party at Summer Stage in Central Park on June 5, 2026. Lone Pine Press for NY PostFans crowded into Central Park’s SummerStage for the watch party on June 5, 2026. Lone Pine Press for NY Post
Randy Horowitz traveled with her two daughters and husband from Long Island to watch the game at The Mecca.
“I am ecstatic,” she said.
“I’m energized. This is why we live in New York. We feel this. No place like New York to experience a night like this,” she continued.
“I was inside. It was better than the team being there. There was so much energy — it was amazing.”
Pals Surgio Urnia, 35 and Ken Lopez, 50, also joined in on the festivities outside the Garden.
“The thing that I love about the watch party is the camaraderie between the New York culture,” said Urnia, a Brooklyn resident.
Knicks fans celebrate during a watch party outside Madison Square Garden on June 5, 2026. Aristide Economopoulos for NY PostKnicks fans celebrate the team’s win at the SummerStage party in Central Park on June 5, 2026. Lone Pine Press for NY PostBen Stiller reacts after the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 5, 2026. AP Photo/David J. Phillip
“It’s beautiful. It brings it back. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt in this city in a very long time.”
When asked how he would celebrate the Knicks winning the championship, he had a blunt response: “I’m quitting my job.”
But that wouldn’t be all for Urnia.
“I’m going to the parade. I am gonna get a new girlfriend. I’m gonna have a brand new life,” he insisted.
Lopez was much more modest.
A Knicks fan cheers on the team during a watch party in Central Park on June 5, 2026. Lone Pine Press for NY PostA Knicks fan walks around outside Madison Square Garden holding a large cutout of Jalen Brunson’s head after the team’s win on June 5, 2026. Aristide Economopoulos for NY PostNYPD officials detain a Knicks fan during the watch party outside Madison Square Garden. Aristide Economopoulos for NY Post
“I’m gonna take a whole week off work,” he said.
Leaning against the barriers in front of MSG was Nasir Boston, 24, of Queens, who currently works as a security guard but hopes to get into the social media field.
“The Knicks got all of us united right now, all five boroughs including Long Island,” Boston told the Post.
And if they win the championship?
“No one is going to work,” Boston said.
Similar scenes of jubilation erupted across the city on Friday night as Central Park was home to another watch party and bars were packed to the brim with fans.
Knicks superfan and filmmaker Spike Lee was spotted in the city standing through the sunroof of a car, reaching toward a cheering crowd as fans blasted airhorns and yelled into the night, per a video posted to X by ESPN New York.
The Jeffrey, an institutional Upper East Side sports bar, slashed the prices of beer and food from 7 p.m. to tip off at 8:30 p.m. at their 1973 levels — $.73 draft beers, oysters, wings and hot dogs.
