Knicks Issued Clear Warning Ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals vs. Spurs

The New York Knicks are one step closer to ending a 53-year NBA title drought. The team erased a 14-point second-half deficit to win Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Wednesday night, defeating the San Antonio Spurs to win their 12th straight playoff game.

Jalen Brunson led the way with 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and OG Anunoby ended with 17 on 3 of 6 shooting from deep.

Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter alone, and the Knicks were down by one point with just over two minutes remaining before he drained a corner 3-pointer to give New York the lead for good.

The Knicks finished on an 11-0 run and became the first team ever to beat the Spurs in a Game 1 of the Finals, who had been a perfect 6-0 up until that point.

But if you think this series is over, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has a warning for you.

“I would say in any Finals series, if you go down 0-1, that you’re going to have to win Game 2,” Windhorst said on Thursday’s “Get Up,” specifically pointing to Monday night, Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, and why San Antonio can’t let it get to that point.

“Monday night at the Garden is setting up to be wild and super high stakes. The Spurs do not want to walk into that environment facing a dire situation,” he warned. “I expect them to review this film very thoroughly. I don’t think the adjustments that they’re going to have to make are going to be sweeping. But they’re definitely going to feel some pressure.”

“The Spurs have felt pressure several times in this postseason. They’ve faced elimination several times in this postseason. And they’ve always responded. So, the Knicks and I should expect a stronger response from the Spurs tomorrow night,” Windhorst added.

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When facing elimination in Game 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs delivered the largest blowout win in franchise history when facing elimination, leading by as many as 28 points. “When we see adversity and our backs are against the wall, we perform,” Stephon Castle said afterward.

As for what went wrong in Game 1 against the Knicks, Victor Wembanyama finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds but shot just 6 for 21 from the field and struggled inside against New York’s physical defense.

The team as a whole shot 11 for 43 from beyond the arc, a brutal 26%, with only Julian Champagnie providing any consistent perimeter pop, finishing 5 of 10 from deep.

Wembanyama also committed six turnovers, and the Spurs simply did not play with the urgency their position demanded when their star was struggling.

But in the NBA Finals, a bounce-back performance from a 22-year-old generational talent is about as close to a guarantee as the sport offers.

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Game 2 tips Friday night in San Antonio at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

If the Knicks want to truly put their stamp on this series, they need to come back strong on the road, because if the Spurs walk into MSG at 1-1, this becomes a completely different conversation.

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 1:57 PM.