Myers says Sixers must ‘find an identity' under new front office regime  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Bob Myers was pleased Monday to watch Mike Gansey field his first questions as the Sixers’ president of basketball operations.

He was also candid about the fact that Gansey is taking control of a flawed team.

Myers, the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, spoke minutes after Gansey’s introductory press conference and identified a broad problem with the Sixers. 

“We’ve got to find an identity,” Myers said. “We just don’t have one. That may be a harsh thing to say, but look at the numbers. We were not elite offensively or defensively. If you’re going to win at the highest level, you’ve got to be great at something. We have the capability. We have the players and some of the talent. But in order to see what we are, we’ve got to be on the court. You have to have a consistent product on the floor and then you find out. 

“And maybe that’s not good enough. Maybe it is. But we’ve got to figure out, ‘What are we? What can we stand on as a team?’ Some teams stand on both. Some teams are great offensively and defensively. But we’ve got to be great at one of them at least, and we’ve got to find out which one of them it is. And to get there, we’ve got to have guys on the court.”

The 2025-26 Sixers were indeed middling on both offense and defense. According to Cleaning the Glass, the team ranked 17th in offensive rating and 17th in defensive rating outside of garbage time. 

At times, the team hinted at a resilient, adaptable identity. The Sixers pulled off a historic comeback from a 3-1 deficit in their first-round playoff series with the Celtics and relied on star power.

However, Joel Embiid’s unending injury woes made it tricky for the Sixers to maintain any positive momentum. Their longest winning streak of the season was five games. The Sixers were 24-14 when Embiid played in the regular season and 21-23 without him. 

“You can’t consistently develop habits and you can’t really develop an identity with that many starting lineups,” Myers said, “with that much change. … (Head coach Nick Nurse) has great ideas. … We have to become great at something. But the good news is there’s talent. We have talent. We have to find something that we can stand on that you know when you’re playing the Sixers, you’re going to have a problem either going up against their offense or (their defense).”

Nurse had suggested at training camp that the Sixers would be a speedy, guard-centric group. His vision appeared to be Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe as heavy-minutes starters, Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain as offensive weapons off the bench, and less concern than the typical team about the defensive deficiencies that come with smaller lineups. 

That concept never fully materialized. Grimes had an inconsistent season and McCain got traded to the Thunder in February. On the bright side, Maxey earned his first All-NBA Team selection and Edgecombe finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. It’s easy to begin with the Maxey-Edgecombe duo when mapping out the Sixers’ future.

“We’ve got two really, really good young studs in Tyrese and VJ, and then we’ve got Joel and Paul (George),” Gansey said. “Those are the four we start with. And obviously, when they play, we’re pretty good. You can see how they worked against Boston in the playoffs. We’ve just got to dive into those four and get them on the floor together. … We’ve got to stay healthy. And then try to add some depth and get better in other areas.”

The Sixers have had a few somewhat stable stylistic traits in Nurse’s three seasons. 

They’ve valued winning the turnover battle and performed well in that area. The Sixers’ worst rank for offensive turnover percentage was 11th in the 2024-25 season. They’ve been a top-10 team in defensive turnover percentage every year.

For a variety of reasons, defensive rebounding has remained a glaring weakness. The Sixers have often ceded size at multiple positions and their turnover-hunting approach has tended to mean the team is a bit more vulnerable on the defensive glass. 

As Gansey and the Sixers’ front office think about depth options, there’s no question they’ll have rebounding and three-point shooting in mind. 

“I can give you a general answer and say that every team is like that, but we struggled in some of those areas,” Myers said. “So it’s acknowledging what you’re good at and what we need to work on. Clearly, the rebounding, especially defensive rebounding, is an area of concern and we need to get better. How can we get better? Is that personnel, is that technique, is that strategy? … Again, is this why we do it — because it’s not easy. It’s difficult. 

“These answers are not simple. You wake up in the middle of the night thinking about these things. And when you get fortunate enough to win, it’s all that work and toil that make it worth it. But there’s nothing more challenging than winning. You can’t buy championships. You have to go through it together. Each decision you make, each transaction you make is hopefully moving in that direction. But that’s why you do it. That’s what makes it fun.”

This postseason has had a prevailing subplot in Victor Wembanyama’s ascent— not only as the 22-year-old cements himself as the face of the NBA, but also how the young superstar is trying to find his edge on the court. That manifested itself with an elbow to Naz Reid against the Timberwolves, and reared its head once more on Monday night against the Knicks.

Wemby was jostling with Jalen Brunson at the top of the key, and decided to throw him to the ground like he was nothing.

Brunson was obviously astonished that this even happened, because one would think that a fist-shove like this would at least warrant a whistle. I call it that, because I don’t really know how to define this move. It’s not really a push, it’s not a punch — it’s a fist-shove. Of course Wemby had to invent an entirely new way to foul someone.

We could call this him getting the superstar call, but it was wholly bizarre that he was able to get away with this against Jalen Brunson of all people. It’s not like he was manhandling someone off the bench or a role player — it was star-on-star violence. Now, while it is quite funny to see anyone get ragdolled like this, the refs definitely shouldn’t have swallowed their whistles here.

The Knicks didn’t win a game for the first time in 14 attempts, and since CJ McCollum ignited the second-greatest postseason run in NBA history.

New York won 13 straight, and is now just two away—with four more opportunities to get those dubs—from winning the whole thing.

Here’s the latest from MSG’s action on Monday.

Mike Brown

On balancing officiating talk with what the team can control:

“It’s going to be (a story around officiating) because I said it. The story is going to be there. But there are some controllables that we did not do a good job of doing. We allowed them to hit first at the beginning of the game. We allowed them to hit first in the beginning of the second half. We turned the ball over and we were stagnant offensively and we allowed them to get to the paint, and we did not pay attention to detail to what we are supposed to do defensively.”

On the series perspective and baffling foul split:

“I tell the guys, it’s a seven-game series for a reason. They are a great team. There are some things that we can control that I didn’t think that we controlled tonight. And then like I said, maybe we fouled 24 times, but I’m baffled that they only fouled eight in the second half.”

On allowing San Antonio into the paint:

“We allowed them to get to the paint, and we did not pay attention in detail to what we are supposed to do defensively.”

On the free-throw disparity in the second half:

“First of all, I want to get something clear. Coach Mitch Johnson and the Spurs, they won the game tonight. They came and took the game. But I will say this, I never thought I’d be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight. I don’t think I complain much about officials or the fairness when it comes to the free throw attempts. San Antonio is a great team, they’re a great team. It’s going to lower our odds big time, big time, if we play Game 4 and in the second half they get 24 free throw attempts to our eight. And maybe we were fouling, maybe we were fouling, but they foul too… There were opportunities for fouls to be called. To at least try to even the free throws out.”

On hoping for a more balanced whistle in Game 4:

“If they do this in Game 4, where it’s 24-8 in the second half, it’s going to be tough for us to win… There are a lot of things that we can do better and we’re gonna have to do better. But in the same breathe, like I said, hopefully they’ll see some more fouls called against them where it’s not 24-8. This is a four-point ball game, a one-possession ball game going down the stretch and it’s tough to overcome.”

On questioning the third-quarter free-throw gap:

“I talked to [the officials]. They outshot us 14-3 in the third quarter from the free throw line. I talked to them, and they said, well, this is a foul, this is a foul. That’s the question I had with them is, you’re right. Maybe we did foul. But they fouled, too.”

On giving the Spurs credit for execution:

“I give San Antonio, their staff and their players a lot of credit. They just stayed with it, stayed with it, tried to execute, tried to execute, tried to execute, and we did not do a good job with the details. I think it’s a combination of both because they had to execute their actions, and then we had to make sure that we tried to execute our defensive responsibilities, and we didn’t do a really good job with it.”

On struggling to overcome the whistle and the Spurs’ execution:

“Now, we didn’t play good. San Antonio played great. We could’ve played better, there were a lot of things that we didn’t do that we did in Game 1 and Game 2. But to go 24 free throw attempts in a second half… compared to eight. All the shots we took, we got fouled four times roughly for eight free throw attempts. Again, I don’t complain much, but I never thought I’d see that in an NBA Finals game, and I saw it tonight. That’s tough to overcome when you’re playing a great team.”

On the stagnant offense and turnover issues:

“Offensively, we were as stagnant as I’ve seen us all year. We just wanted to stand and watch one guy dribble a ton, and then when the ball got passed, there were no quick decisions by the guy receiving the basketball. You have to be smart, you have to do a good job taking care of the basketball, you have to move the ball and move bodies, and we’ve done that quite a bit but we didn’t do a good job of it tonight, which helped with the 13 turnovers… the turnover situation, the free throw situation, and our attention to detail about keeping them out of the paint and taking away the vertical threat, not good tonight.”

On the offense devolving into drag and no movement:

“It was the way we played and the things that we were doing offensively. We were just coming down and just basically playing ‘drag.’ We’d get the first screen, and then we literally just stood and watched. There was no movement. Like, sometimes KAT has to flash to the elbow. Sometimes he’s got to post up. … They are junking the game up by just putting [Victor Wembanyama] in one of the two corners. So if they junk the game up, I can call a play. But sometimes you’re going to have to just move and cut and pass the ball quicker and drive the ball quicker, because it’s almost a zone that they are in to a certain degree, and we didn’t do a good job of attacking it.”

On Jose Alvarado stabilizing the team in Game 3:

“He was huge. We talked about it during our film session. When Jalen went out of the game, he came in and he kind of stabilized us because we were floundering a little bit. He got us into our offense.”

On his first time coaching at MSG in the Finals:

“I was like, holy crap, I can’t believe this is where I’m going to be coaching. The biggest thing was when I got to the bench where we sit, and I kind of turned and looked at the crowd; I saw my wife and family, like, three rows back, I was like, dang, thanks, Mr. Dolan; that’s pretty nice. Just obviously the building, but more importantly when you get in and you look, for me, I see my family right there, then obviously all the stars. It makes it feel different than almost any other building you’ve been in.”

On meeting Ben Stiller and telling his wife to go get a picture:

“Ben Stiller was over there. I don’t think I’ve ever met Ben, but he was over there, and she was like, ‘Ben’s over there.’ I was like, ‘Go get a picture. I’m sure he’ll take a picture with you.’ [She was like], ‘No, I can’t do it.’”

On encouraging his wife to approach Stiller:

“When you see him next time, approach him. He’s gonna take a picture with you.”

On hoping adversity helps everyone involved:

“You’re going to hit some adversity throughout the course of the season, and this is what I talked about when I said, you know, you hoped you hit adversity because you want to see how everybody reacts, not just the players. I want to see how Mr. [James] Dolan was going to react. I want to see how [team president] Leon Rose is going to react, their group, on top of the players. Because one of them, all of them, can get pissed at me and say, screw this, we’re done. Or you could try to keep fighting, stay even-keeled and try to figure it out.”

On Brunson’s MVP snub:

“He did not get the attention that he deserved during the regular season. I think he’s a top-three MVP candidate, and when it comes down to those things, his name wasn’t mentioned much.”

On the Finals elevating Brunson’s recognition:

“Playing in the Finals, leading your team to first place in the regular season in either conference, that gives you more recognition. So something like this should definitely help and help everybody wake up a little bit and understand what type of player he is and, just as importantly, what type of person he is.”

On being forced to stay at an NYC hotel before Game 3:

“I’ve never done that for a [home] game before. But it’s easier because we’re practicing here.”

On the energy brought by former Knicks legends being around the team:

“It truly means a lot, because when they’re on the sidelines or baselines or whatever, they make their presence known. They’re full of energy. That’s just who they are. They just want the best for us, and it’s a really cool sight to see. It’s an honor to play for this organization, the history it has, to see the former players around all the time, that makes it even more special.”

Jalen Brunson

On learning from the Game 3 loss and the end of the 13-game winning streak:

“I think win or lose as a team, our mindset is always get better the next day. We’ve tried our best to learn from wins over the past couple of weeks, but now we have to learn from a loss. But I think the most important thing was that we were going to learn regardless, because we knew that there were things we were gonna have to improve heading into the next game, so the mindset stays the same.”

On turnovers and transition defense issues on Monday:

“I think we turned the ball over a lot, first and foremost, and also we were fouling a lot and put them at the line about 30 times. With our live ball turnovers, got them out in transition.”

On the offense becoming stagnant:

“I liked some of the looks, but I also think we were pretty stagnant. There’s definitely things that we can learn from. Especially with our approach when we start the game and with the way we start the half, I don’t think we did well and I don’t think I did well, either.”

On Wembanyama’s MMA move on him:

“Whatever you saw is what you saw.”

On seeing Luka Doncic’s effortless game early in his career:

“Just seeing how effortlessly he did everything, it really made me question myself. I had to do all this work just to be in this position.”

On learning through experience:

“The biggest experience you get is actually going through things.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the need for starting the game and third quarters better:

“You knew they were going to come out with a sense of urgency and a sense of desperation. We should have started the game off better. We should have started the third quarter off better. So, you know, back to 0-0.”

On failing to play the game that fueled the 13-game streak:

“Didn’t do what got us 13 straight wins in a row. That’s how you lose a game. We didn’t do what we’ve been doing for 13. We decided to do something different, and it ain’t going to work.”

On the Spurs earning it and the Knicks not doing their job:

“They were great. But we didn’t do our job.”

On rejecting officiating as the reason for the loss:

“Nah, that ain’t what cost us the game. Turning the ball over didn’t do what got us 13 wins in a row. That’s how you lose a game. We didn’t do what we did for the 13, we decided to play differently, and it ain’t gonna work when you’re throwing the ball away. It’s a clear indication of how you’re going to lose the game, especially in the playoffs.”

On letting MSG fans down in Game 3:

“Of course our fans brought it. They always do. Of course they lived up to the expectations and exceeded them. We didn’t do our job to give them something to cheer for after the game.”

On ignoring skeptics about his shooting ability early in his career:

“I worked on my game. When I was younger, that wasn’t something that was supposed to happen. You’re laughed at. You’re told, ‘What are you doing? You’re wasting your time. You’re never going to make it to college doing that.’”

On walking his own path to the NBA:

“A lot of people are going to tell you, ‘No,’ what they think you need to do to make it to the NBA, to do all these things. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to walk on your own path, write your own story. And that’s what I did.”

On receiving praise from former doubters:

“People come back to me and give me all the congrats and congratulations and all this love for something they didn’t help with; they told me to do the opposite. So, that’s how life always goes. Everyone’s got an opinion until someone actually does the work.”

Mikal Bridges

On his defensive performance in Game 3:

“Offensively, we got a little stagnant. We just gotta keep moving and spacing. They just played harder than us, more physical. It starts with me defensively. I think I did a bad job defensively. They scored a good amount of times when I was in in the beginning. And throughout the game, I think, really, for me, it starts with defense and feeding off that.”

On needing to respond in Game 4:

“We gotta be better. I gotta be better for next game. We’re gonna be all right. We’re gonna regroup and learn from our loss.”

On Wembanyama’s defensive impact on the game:

“His length is unmatched and he’s got good IQ. It definitely causes trouble. He’s DPOY for a reason.”

OG Anunoby

On moving forward after the loss:

“They’re a great team, as well. They weren’t just going to lay down. All we can do is move on and learn from this and take it as adversity and just respond to it.”

On the Knicks not being connected defensively in Game 3:

“We weren’t as connected as we normally are. We had some mental mishaps and allowed some easy buckets.”

On transition defense slipping in Monday’s loss:

“We weren’t as connected as we normally are. We had some mental mishaps and allowed some easy buckets, and also our transition defense wasn’t what we wanted it to be.”

On failing to handle the constant stoppages and stunted rhythm:

“Yeah, the stops and go, and all the fouls, that’s just how the game went today. I guess so. I guess it affects the rhythm, but we just have to deal with it. Every game is different. Some games there’s no stoppages and some games there’s a bunch. So we just have to respond and be professional and be ready to go.”

Josh Hart

On resetting after the Game 3 loss:

“Back to 0-0. Get back at it on Wednesday.”

On the Spurs’ urgency after trailing 2-0:

“It doesn’t surprise us at all. They were down 2-0. You knew they were going to come out with a sense of urgency and a sense of desperation. We should have started the game off better.”

On learning from Game 3 regardless of result:

“There’s a couple shots that didn’t fall that we had good looks on. I feel like we didn’t get enough stops during the game. We get stops, we play our brand of basketball, and you’re not worried about makes and misses. Like I said, we’ve got to learn from it, watch it tomorrow. At the end of the day, whether we won or lost, we’re going to do the same thing. Watch tomorrow, get better and prepare for the game on [Wednesday]. Same mentality.”

On Brown’s steady demeanor as head coach:

“He’s not too high, not too low. He allows himself to be coachable in the sense of listening to other coaches and players. He has our input instilled into what we do. He’s been the same all year long. That’s what you want as a coach; you don’t want him to get too high or too low. He has a real comfort in his role.”

Jordan Clarkson

On the Knicks’ early-game approach:

“We wanted to come out here and punch them first and do that. I think the turnovers were just a big part of where we messed up tonight.”

On failing to close out the game:

“They just made plays, honestly.”

Landry Shamet

On the Spurs’ Game 3 play:

“They came out, they made adjustments, they were more physical. They kicked our ass and we’ve gotta bounce back. We gotta look in the mirror and get better and we’ll do that. I feel good about knowing we can clean some things up. We’ll be better in Game 4.”

On Spurs’ paint game:

“They were really physical early. They played really fast. Got into the paint far too much for our liking. They were really aggressive. Castle had 18 points when I looked up at some point in the first half, so he had it going. Harper was getting into the paint. Fox. Wemby was catching lobs.”

On sticking to the process despite missing threes:

“Great process, got some great looks, had a few that were down and out. Process over outcome. I’m more upset about some of the things defensively that I’ve been priding myself on. I had a few possessions where I didn’t do my job like I needed to. That’s fixable. Sometimes the gods give you in and outs and the ball doesn’t go in.”

On the Garden atmosphere in Game 3:

“The city was crazy, you could feel it from Mars, I’m sure. New York was buzzing. A lot of energy. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a win from the home fans, but we’ll respond and we’ll be better.”

Jose Alvarado

On how to deal with Wembanyama:

“It’s hard. That’s why we try to get in the paint and spray it out. It’s a tough task.”

Mitch Johnson

On what pushed the Spurs to their first Finals win:

“The simple things. Game plan execution, starting in the right spots, early communication, good switching… and then just working through the possessions.”

On expecting a strong performance from Wembanyama:

“I don’t think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than strong performance and him being on his front foot in terms of attack mode”

On playing collectively and making strides offensively:

“I thought we made some strides in terms of ball movement, playing with our teammates, setting screens… I just thought we were in attack mode, but also as a collective group.”

Victor Wembanyama

On whether he’s a Knicks villain now:

“I guess. I’m nowhere near Trae Young level, though.”

On the MSG atmosphere compared to playing home:

“At home it really feels like playing six against five. Here it feels like five against six. … It really shows what teams are made of.”

On Stephon Castle’s maturity on the roster:

“Steph’s role? He might be the most mature player on our team. And he’s nowhere near the oldest. He’s shown over and over again he’s capable and that we are right to put our trust in him.”

On trying to relax during the playoffs:

“I really tried to relax. The playoffs, it’s like … a whirlwind. It’s hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes I don’t even go to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.”

Stephon Castle

On not feeling relief after the Game 3 win:

“I still feel like we haven’t really done anything.. obviously it feels good to win, especially on the road… we’re just looking forward to the next 48 minutes.”

On his last-second three and beig aware of the clock:

“Getting ready to go crash and try and rebound. At that point in the game, I feel like you gotta be alert and know the clock.”

De’Aaron Fox

On what changed for the Spurs after dropping two:

“Being able to sustain the high-level play and bouncing back quicker after New York runs.”

Rick Brunson

On defending JB during the Fox altercation in Game 2:

“I’m always gonna be a father first. But at the end of the day, if there was any other player, I’d do the same.”

On the surreal nature of his son’s rise:

“It’s crazy to me. I never envisioned, you know, to this level.”

On remembering the 1999 Finals run:

“I remember like it was yesterday, being here in ’99 trying to win a championship. But now it’s more exciting for me as a father to see your son on the stage and performing.”

On the perception of his relationship with Jalen:

“People may think just because he pushes me a certain way that we don’t say things to each other. But I wouldn’t trade anything for the world.”

On keeping Jalen confident regardless of results:

“I don’t rate Jalen on if the ball goes in or not. It’s just taking the right shot, taking his shot. Just try to keep him confident.”

Stephen A. Smith

On the president’s Game 3 attendance:

“This president has no business showing up in New York City. I am dead serious. It is selfish. It is narcissistic. It is ridiculous that he is coming to this game. This is not a football stadium in some space in Texas where you got a whole bunch of outlays. This is [Madison Square] Garden. This is midtown Manhattan. Do you have any idea what the congestion is going to be like in New York City?”

Coming off a heartbreaking Game 2 loss, the Spurs traveled to Madison Square Garden with a 0-2 deficit vs the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. No team in NBA history has come back down 3-0 in a series, so the Spurs knew they had to play with extreme desperation. Like the first two games, the Spurs dominated the first quarter. This time, they outscored the Knicks 33-22. In the second, the Knicks and Spurs switched roles. The Knicks outscored the Spurs 42-24 in the quarter, and the Spurs faced a seven-point deficit. The Spurs fought back in the third, and their defense started to frustrate the Knicks’ offense. They took a one-point lead into the fourth, with their season on the line.

The Spurs’ defense continued to buckle down, and clutch plays were provided by Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox in the last several minutes. Despite a comeback attempt from the Knicks, Castle drained a crucial shot clock buzzer-beating 30-footer to give the Spurs a seven-point lead with 1:53 remaining. With the lead down to three, Fox drained a clutch stepback jumper to put the Spurs back up by 5 with 12 seconds left. OG Anunoby drained a clutch three from the corner, and Castle was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass. The 21-year-old drained clutch free throws and shut down the Knicks on the next possession. The Spurs ultimately won 115-111, and now trail the series 2-1.

Victor Wembanyama led the way with 32 points (11-18 FG, 8-9 FT), eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals. After having the worst turnover of his career and the missed game-winner in Game 2, Wemby said that he would use it as fuel for Game 3. He turned in his best game of the Finals so far. The Spurs made it a point of emphasis to get him involved in the paint early, and his buckets came off lobs and paint touches. He’s now averaging 29 points per game and about 10 rebounds with three blocks. In his first Finals at 22, Wemby has played better each game, and he does not appear to be slowing down.

On the board! Fox drives into the paint and floats it up for Wemby to throw it down for the first points of the game!

CAUTION: APPROACHING AREA 51. Castle sees Wemby seal off Anunoby and dishes it to him for the easy slam!

AND ONE! Wemby uses his patience and fights through contact for the and-one finish!

STEPBACK TREY! Wemby catches and steps back behind the three-point line for the trey ball!

LOB CITY! Fox and Wemby run the P&R to perfection as Wemby finishes the lob with one hand!

Makes it look easy! Wemby catches the pass off the screen and faces Karl-Anthony Towns up for the midrange jumper!

Outsmarting the defense! Wemby fakes the three and finds a cutting Keldon Johnson, who finishes with patience!

AREA 51 PART TWO. Steph finds a cutting Wemby for the alley-oop slam connection!

GET THAT OUTTA HERE! Wemby swats Landry Shamet’s layup off the glass late in the fourth!

Here’s the rest of Wemby’s Twitter/X highlights

Stephon Castle dropped 23 points (8-14 FG, 5-6 FT), five rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block. Steph was on fire in the first half, dropping 18 of his 23 in the first two quarters. He was driving to the cup with toughness and ease, with even finishing through uncalled contact multiple times. His defense also remains disciplined (for the most part) and impressive. As mentioned before, the 21-year-old was unbelievably clutch down the stretch. He drained a bailout three-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer and swished two clutch free throws to seal the game. After struggling from the field in Games 1 and 2, this is a welcome sight for him and Spurs fans worldwide.

HOW?! Steph drains the tough midrange jumper over Josh Hart!

CRAFTY AND-ONE! Steph crosses over Mikal Bridges and eurosteps into the paint for the and-one finish!

Another drive, another finish! Steph uses the eurostep to the other side and finishes over Hart!

Here’s all of Steph’s buckets from his red hot first half!

CLUTCH. With the shot clock winding down, Steph nails a clutch deep three to provide more cushion!

Dylan Harper dropped 13 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Even though Dylan struggled from the field, his impact on drives and on the boards was tremendous. The 20-year-old rookie continues to play like an experienced veteran every time he’s on the court. His finishing ability has fans comparing his game to other all-star guards around the league. He has been the Spurs’ best player off the bench this entire playoff run, and he continues to get extended playing time during these Finals.

Smooth as silk! Dylan splits two defenders and glides to the cup for an easy layup!

DYLAN POSTER! Dylan gets free off the Luke Kornet screen and posterizes Anunoby!

Floatin’! Dylan drives into the paint and glides again for another finish at the rim!

Transition three! Dylan leads a three-on-one fastbreak and finds an open Devin Vassell, who knocks down the three!

BIG BOY BUCKET! Dylan drives in on KAT and finishes over him!

DIMER! Dylan rifles a pass to a wide-open Julian Champagnie for the three at the top of the key!

De’Aaron Fox dropped 12 points, eight assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Fox struggled shooting the ball all game, but he made an impact defensively. He got a crucial block on KAT and stayed active on rotations. When it mattered most, Fox drained his most clutch bucket in a Spurs uniform with 12 seconds left to put the Spurs up by five. For all the criticism this man has received throughout the season, including the playoffs, moments like these are why he gets paid the big bucks.

What an amazing response from this young team. After being down 0-2, they could have easily thrown in the towel, given the odds and how they’re stacked against them. Instead, this team locked in defensively and got clutch performances from their top players. The confidence this team exudes is infectious and has reached its fanbase. With winning one on the road, the door is wide open for the Spurs to even this series and put the pressure back on New York.

Finally, here are the full game highlights.

The Spurs have a chance to tie up the series this Wednesday back in MSG at 7:30 P.M. (CST) on ABC.

ESPN anchor Pat McAfee pricelessly referred to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as “some very rich guy” after the billionaire was nearly crushed in the crowd when Knicks guard Jose Alvarado leapt into the stands chasing a loose ball.

“Alvarado’s sitting on some very rich guy,” McAfee joked on the alternate broadcast of Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

“Oh, that’s Mayor Bloomberg!” he quickly added after realizing who the courtside fan was.

Front-row tickets to the game at Madison Square Garden Monday night were selling for tens of thousands of dollars.

“That’s one of the founders of Bloomberg Business I believe, he was the mayor, I believe he’s worth a billion or two, and just had Alvarado in his lap.”

Bloomberg is in fact the richest person in New York City, with an estimated net worth over $100 billion.

After Alvarado landed directly on the 84-year-old billionaire in his courtside seats, he could be seen chatting with Bloomberg to make sure he was ok, and the former mayor seemed in good spirits, even flashing a thumbs-up at a referee who came by his seat to check on him.

Comedian and Knicks fan Dave Chappelle even walked over from his own courtside seats to check on the ex-politician, who was seated right near Yankees legend Derek Jeter and former Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg had a cheeky response to the run-in with Alvarado.

“Great to meet NYC’s homegrown star, @AlvaradoJose15. But next time, Jose, just call me. Let’s go Knicks!” he wrote on X.

The Knicks went on to lose 115-111 in the team’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.

On Monday night, the most powerful man in the world crashed a citywide celebration 27 years in the making and almost shut it down, with barricades around midtown Manhattan, security lines outside Madison Square Garden and agents wanding Victor Wembanyama as if the San Antonio Spurs phenom were a threat off the court as well as on it. And when Donald Trump finally arrived for his grand entrance, it was in a half-mile-long motorcade. Anyone taking in the scene couldn’t help but ask the quintessential New York question: who does this guy think he is, some kind of big shot?

At this point in Trump’s presidency, it’s fair to wonder if he got into politics for the free tickets. On a night when he could’ve been dealing with far more pressing issues – soaring living costs, war with Iran, a global economy under strain – Trump flew to New York expressly to watch the Knicks play host to their first NBA finals game since he started making noises about running for office someday; he evidently couldn’t turn down the game after being invited by “numerous people.”

Related: NBA finals: Wembanyama silences Garden’s party as Spurs beat Knicks in Game 3

Monday’s trip to the NBA finals came amid a stacked sports calendar for the president during his second term that has seen him appear at everything from the Super Bowl to college wrestling championships. This weekend he will even turn the White House South Lawn into the staging ground for a UFC card on his 80th birthday. There’s no doubt Trump is a sports fan – the zero-sum contests, the dominant athletes, the spectacle of it all. But that’s not the real pull for him.

The point is social hierarchy. Sports makes that legible. The farther you are from the action, the lower you are in status – unless, of course, you’re watching from a suite, where you either have connections or are the connection. When Trump went to Knicks games in his pre-presidential days, he sat courtside between his second wife, Marla Maples, and the actor Elliott Gould. The Garden’s celebrity row was a glitzy club where he fit relatively comfortably – unlike the US Open, where New York’s old-money gatekeepers still treated him as a headline-chasing arriviste.

Becoming president changed the geometry. He was no longer just another celebrity; he was the axis around which the event now had to revolve. When Barack Obama attended basketball games during his time in office, he picked his spots, stayed out of marquee moments and tried to avoid turning the night into a logistical nightmare. He sat courtside, posed for selfies and dapped up players and coaches. The intention was always the same: don’t upstage the game.

Trump does the opposite. Sporting events are not so much something he attends as something he encroaches upon, reshapes, and absorbs into his own image – more of a black hole than a true-blue fan. He makes them fodder for political memes. Game 3 wasn’t just a high school revenge moment, his night to tell the hometown haters who counted him out after his federal conviction on 34 felony counts in May 2024: “Look at me now, bigger than ever.” It was also meant to double as a PR victory over a league that has long functioned as one of his most visible cultural antagonists.

Before Monday’s game, Knicks players tried to downplay the impact the president’s attendance would have; only center Mitchell Robinson, a proud owner of a Trump flag, didn’t really bother. “He’s welcome here,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on ESPN before tipoff. “What makes sports so special, especially when there’s so much that divides people, is it’s something we have in common. We should look for those things and build off that.”

Related: Knicks fans: share your reaction to the NBA finals

It was a marked retreat for a league that once had a far more adversarial relationship with Trump – one defined by the president’s public insults aimed at LeBron James, the rescinding of a White House invitation to the Golden State Warriors after Steph Curry opted out of celebrating the 2017 championship, and a broader political rupture during the player-led protests that followed George Floyd’s killing. But Silver’s comments underscore how fully the sports world bows to the Very Important President now.

That reverence was on display at MSG on Monday night. Before games, the Knicks distribute a VIP list to the press to identify who’s who – but Trump wasn’t included. Why would he be? The Very Important President looms well above such formalities. He doesn’t sit courtside next to Spike Lee and Tina Fey (Can’t risk the optics of seating a convicted felon too close to Law & Order: SVU’s Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, after all). He watches from on high alongside Knicks owner James Dolan, from a suite encased in plexiglass shielding with extra security. But just when it seemed Trump had won the status game, the damnedest thing happened: the party passed him by.

The real juice wasn’t inside the plexiglass suite with the president, Trump’s granddaughter Kai, secretary of the interior Doug Burgum and Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff. It was down on the floor with Jay-Z, Derek Jeter and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel – somehow both in the middle of the scene and easy to miss. It was with the Knicks crowd that endured the long lines and booed the president when he appeared on the big screen during the national anthem. For all of his clout, the Very Important President couldn’t compete with the star power.

The true gravity came from a matchup that felt as big as Ali-Frazier at MSG in 1971 or any of Michael Jordan’s signature nights. That it ended with the Knicks suffering their first loss in a month and a half gave the night a whiff of folklore. If they go on to lose the series, the Bernie Madoff curse may have to make room for the Trump jinx. There was another annoyance for fans who ponied up a few months rent for game tickets only to be delayed by all the security checks on Monday: social media images appeared to show Grandpa Donnie napping during the game. All that security theater, all the midtown revelry disrupted for something he could have done at home or on the plane – and for far less taxpayer money.

In the end, Trump got what he wanted: a prime seat for one of the hottest events in sports, attention under a harsh spotlight, and his place at the center of a league that once defied him (even if he couldn’t totally insulate himself from fan hostility). But this NBA finals foray proved the folly of his lifelong quest to be seen as the ultimate VIP. No matter how much the Very Important President inserts himself into the spectacle, it always – always – diminishes him.

The Knicks did not play well in Game 3, and Charles Barkley wants Mike Brown’s comments to start and stop there.

After the Knicks’ 115-111 home defeat Monday, the Knicks’ coach called out the referees, saying “I never thought I’d be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free-throw attempts to another team’s eight.”

The Knicks were outshot 32 to 22 at the free-throw line, including 24 to eight in the second half, but the “Inside the NBA” crew apparently didn’t want to hear all of that.

“Well, he should’ve stopped at, ‘We didn’t play well,'” Barkley said postgame after the Spurs cut their series deficit to 2-1. “They did not play well enough to win the game. The Spurs outplayed them tonight. Referees are going to miss some calls, that happens. Officiating did not lose this game tonight.”

Barkley’s co-host Shaquille O’Neal offered similar sentiments regarding Brown’s postgame comments.

“When I was good enough to lead my team to the Finals, one time I had a bad game and Phil Jackson said, ‘What’s wrong?’ and I said, ‘We didn’t get no calls.’ He put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘World champions don’t complain.’ And he walked off. Mike Brown knows better,” Shaq said.

“He’s won with the Warriors, he knows what it takes to win a championship. I agree with Chuck. You didn’t play well. You should have played better at home.”

Draymond Green added that the referees usually side with the more aggressive team, and Victor Wembanyama controlled the physicality of the game by getting multiple alley-oops to start the game.

“I blame the Knicks for that,” Green said. “If you’re aggressive. If you’re not letting him roll to the rim, then they’re not penetrating and getting to the basket, then they’re not getting more foul calls.”

Jalen Brunson was hit in the back of the head by Wembanyama in the first quarter, which even the ABC/ESPN broadcast said should have resulted in a flagrant foul.

The Spurs have received more free-throw attempts in each of the three Finals contests, though Game 3 was the widest margin to date.

San Antonio is 64-for-84 at the line in the NBA Finals after hitting 25-for-32 attempts Monday, while the Knicks are 50-for-61.

Editor’s note: You likely have noticed we continued this series past 10th, where the Bucks’ first-round pick landed. With rumors that they were operating as if they’d have multiple picks—not necessarily firsts—in this draft at the combine, we’ll continue it for a couple more days until we reach 18th. Why? Two teams have two picks in the teens: Oklahoma City has 12 and 17, while Charlotte has 14 and 18. If the Bucks trade down from 10 for multiple selections, these seem like the likeliest spots.

Hannes Steinbach was one of the few draft prospects whose team didn’t make it to March Madness this year. Despite putting together a league-leading rebounding season, averaging 11.8 per contest, his Washington Huskies finished 16-17 and missed out on an at-large bid. His team didn’t play any high-stakes, nationally televised games or wrestle with the nation’s elite for coveted championships. Therefore, Steinbach’s dominance flew under the radar for most of the season.

With all that said, it’s still very difficult to miss Steinbach’s imposing build, a body that allows him to grab boards at an absurdly high rate. Steinbach stands at 6’9” barefoot (around 6’11” in shoes) and has a 7’3” wingspan. He has solid weight to complement his large frame, but still boasts surprising bounce and agility. Steinbach seems genetically predestined to grab boards, and he has a really solid, league-ready frame.

Steinbach is also a pretty polished scorer on the inside. He averaged 18.5 PPG at Washington while converting around 70% of his attempts at the rim, per Barttorvik.com. He has a good touch off the glass and post moves that go beyond simply getting downhill and dunking. He’s completed some exciting reverse layups, Euro steps, baby hooks, and tough finishes through contact. Because Washington was one of the worst perimeter shooting teams in D1 basketball, Steinbach frequently attracted double teams on the block, which he navigated impressively. His outside shooting is a work in progress, but it’s still something to build on. He shot 34.0% from three on low volume, but he has steady form and pacing on his shot. It seems like something that he will build on at the next level, to be sure.

The best part about Steinbach’s game is rebounding. High-motor bigs willing to do the dirty work of boxing out and grappling for boards are in high demand (especially for the Bucks, one of the worst rebounding teams in the league). His frame and strength allow him to fight for positioning, but he also understands angles. He doesn’t blindly fling himself towards the glass on every shot; he is just as calculated and precise when it comes to rebounding as he is physical and relentless.

In the league, NBA teams will value his screening ability and lethality on pick-and-rolls. They will also value his underrated ball-handling and ease on the perimeter. He isn’t a three-level scorer, but being able to operate outside the paint to complete pick-and-pop actions or make connecting passes will be a big plus for the team that drafts him.

Steinbach’s biggest negative is his lack of rim protection. He doesn’t block many shots as you’d hope when you account for how tall and physical he is. Additionally, although he can play above the rim, he’s not an elite leaper, and he lacks true NBA center size. Thus, when he wasn’t paired with a solid shot-blocker on defense, Steinbach struggled to contest shots at the rim. He relies heavily on the strength and high motor evident in his rebounding, but his worth in the NBA may plummet when you consider his ‘tweener profile. He’s a tad too small to guard dominant centers, but too clunky to guard smaller, more mobile power forwards.

Finally, many aspects of Steinbach’s game remain untested. We aren’t sure whether his outside shot will continue improving in the NBA. We don’t know whether he has the vision to make connective passes and use his pull to find open teammates (1.6 assists to 2.0 turnovers per game at Washington). There are several factors that may hold Steinbach back from his high-percentile NBA outcome as a hard-nosed, traditional center, but his elite rebounding gives him a comfortable floor.

To conclude, Steinbach is a very real option for Milwaukee at the 10th pick. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie noted that Steinbach is indeed being considered by the Bucks’ brass. If Milwaukee prioritizes rebounding, physicality, and frontcourt depth, Steinbach could emerge as one of the more intriguing options when they’re on the clock at 10.

Vote on the next poll on who should go with the 17th draft pick?

Stephon Marbury didn’t mince words while reacting to Spurs center Victor Wembanyama’s shove to Knicks star Jalen Brunson in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals.

Marbury — who spent five seasons with the Knicks in his 13-year NBA career and played nine seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association — went off in an Instagram video that the Knicks “better put that knife in [Wembanyama’s] neck” in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

“Wemby is an international, they play dirty overseas just so you know,” Marbury said after San Antonio’s 115-111 road win over New York to cut the series lead to 2-1. “We’re not used to playing dirty in America the way how Wemby just now threw Jalen Brunson.

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“Now If I’m watching film and I see Wemby throw somebody on my team… the next game I’m gonna pop him in his rib cage so hard with my elbow that he’s going to fall and drop to the ground and he’s going to wish he never put his hands on me.

“So next game, I guarantee you, after y’all watch film what he did to Jalen Brunson… you better make sure you put that knife in his neck. That’s where it’s at,” said Marbury, a three-time champion, a seven-time All-Star, and a one-time Finals MVP in the CBA.

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“… [Wembanyama] said he was going to come in and win Game 2. He did exactly what he was supposed to do. So make sure you take know and next game you bring that same energy, alright?”

Brunson fell to the ground when Wembanyama shoved him hard with two hands in the first quarter.

Brunson confronted the Frenchman on the court as the Spurs’ Stephon Castle held him back.

No foul was called.

After the game, Brunson was asked what happened with Wembanyama during the play — and whether the level of physicality bothered him.

“No, to answer your second question,” Brunson said. “And whatever you saw is what you saw.”

It wasn’t the only scuffle that occurred in the first quarter.

Knicks guard Josh Hart was assessed a technical foul for shoving San Antonio’s Luke Kornet after a made basket, which cut the Spurs lead to seven points.

Well, it was a fun 13-game win streak. 

The Knicks hadn’t lost a game in about a month and a half. But after a 115-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, New York has a lot to think about. 

Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks with 32 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Spurs took control of the first and third quarters, behind strong play from Victor Wembanyama (32 points) and Stephon Castle (23 points). The Knicks still have a 2-1 series lead, but the Spurs might’ve created some momentum.

With a quick turnaround for Game 4 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, here are three thoughts to marinate on for the next two days.

Alien in the paint

To make this a series, San Antonio needed its superstar Wembanyama to step up. The 7-foot-4 big man was a dominating force from the jump, recording 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks. 

Wembanyama got behind New York’s defenders in the pick-and-roll and caught several lobs during the contest. He was aggressive and decisive, scoring 14 points in the restricted area. Wembanyama set the tone for San Antonio in this game and it helped drive the Spurs to a win.

New York kept Wembanyama’s forays to the paint in check through the first two games. In San Antonio, the Knicks’ physicality from help defenders prevented him from those easy looks. Monday night was a different story. 

It’s not an easy task, but for the Knicks to get back in the winning column, they can’t allow as many easy opportunities for Wembanyama. 

Stuck in mud

San Antonio’s defense was aggressive all night in Game 3. That physical, switch-heavy defense has worn on the Knicks, causing the offense to become stagnant at times. New York had 18 assists, but also finished the game with 13 turnovers, which led to 21 Spurs points. 

The assist number was New York’s lowest of this year’s playoff run. The last time the Knicks tallied under 20 assists was a 109-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the first round. That was New York’s most recent loss before Monday.

The lack of flow and ball movement the Knicks played with affected two players in particular, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. Towns was a featured piece in New York’s first two wins. Game 3 saw the big man fade to the background, scoring just 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting. More telling was the one assist Towns had. Bridges was limited to just two points on 1-for-5 shooting, as he struggled to recover from two quick fouls in the first few minutes of the game.

The Knicks are still navigating how to attack a Spurs defense that switches constantly and keeps Wembanyama by the basket to contest any shots near the basket. New York’s playoff turnaround has come largely from moving the ball, which should be a point of emphasis going into Game 4.

The efficient OG 

Not all was dour. OG Anunoby was New York’s best all-around player in the loss. The Knicks’ elite two-way player had 28 points on 9-for-13 shooting, five rebounds and two blocks in Game 3. 

He scored in a variety of ways on Monday. He hit some tough threes, had a dunk over Wembanyama, and a nice spin around Castle into a stuff. The performance continued a strong playoff run for Anunoby. In 15 postseason games, the Knicks’ demon is averaging 19.9 points on a spicy hot 57.4 percent from the field, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks. 

Defensively, Anunoby has been impressive. This game saw Knicks head coach Mike Brown go to a center-less lineup for the first time in the series. In that alignment, Anunoby is the center on defense. He defended Wembanyama for a short period and was effective as a small-ball five. With the Spurs looking to intentionally foul Mitchell Robinson, we could see more of Anunoby at the five going forward.

Down 2-0, the San Antonio Spurs put on a tremendous defensive game to beat the New York Knicks 115-111 in Madison Square Garden Monday night.

Former Blue Devil Mason Plumlee again got a DNP, but that’s not unexpected at this point.

The Spurs showed a lot of heart and their defense was radically better, but it was still barely enough to win this game. New York has really been on a magical run. Their ball movement has been as good as we’ve seen in the NBA in a long, long time. The Spurs managed to disrupt it significantly, which was a real accomplishment.

After some rocky play in the first two games, Victor Wembanyama was a real challenge for the Knicks, racking up 32 points, pulling down 8 rebounds, passing out 6 assists, and blocking 3 shots. Toss in 2 steals, and it was quite a night.

We’ve wondered for years why young big men aren’t knocking on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s door and asking for Skyhook lessons.

If anyone could turn that into a deadly weapon, it’s Wemby. It would be virtually unblockable.

San Antonio was much better down the stretch in Game 3 than they were in either Game 2 or Game 1, but the Spurs are still much less reliable in winning time than New York. The Knicks lost this one, but they’re playing brilliant basketball. It won’t be easy for San Antonio, a much younger team, to match that enough to win the series.

• Wembanyama, Spurs stun Knicks in MSG to revive Finals hopes
• NBA Finals: Spurs bounce back from Game 2 disaster, silence Madison Square Garden in Game 3 thriller over Knicks
• Where Victor Wembanyama’s big Game 3 ranks in Madison Square Garden’s NBA Finals history
• Mitch Johnson and the Spurs are not worried about Victor Wembanyama’s motivation
• Victor Wembanyama on Stephon Castle: ‘He might be the most mature player on our team’
• Spurs outlast Knicks 115-111 in tight NBA Finals Game 3 to prevent sweep
• When is Game 4 of the NBA Finals between Spurs and Knicks?
• Heroes, zeros from Knicks’ Game 3 NBA Finals loss to Spurs: Mikal Bridges went MIA
• Wemby, Spurs snap Knicks’ streak, take Game 3 at MSG
• Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama acknowledges Trae Young amid Knicks villain aura conversation
• Knicks drop Game 3 at raucous MSG as Spurs strike back in NBA Finals

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