{"id":1977105,"date":"2026-06-07T09:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T06:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1977105"},"modified":"2026-06-07T09:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T06:30:15","slug":"what-were-hearing-about-karl-anthony-towns-nba-finals-play-impacting-knicks-giannis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1977105","title":{"rendered":"What we\u2019re hearing about Karl-Anthony Towns\u2019 NBA Finals play impacting Knicks, Giannis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEW YORK \u2014 Sir Isaac Newton would like a word about these NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

In a postmortem sort of way, of course.<\/p>\n

Since the famed polymath taught us<\/a> 340 years ago how \u201cfor every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,\u201d and this storied New York Knicks franchise that hasn\u2019t won it all in about that long finds itself up 2-0 against San Antonio, it\u2019s time to explore what it might mean if this gritty group shocks the basketball world by finishing the job.<\/p>\n

The reaction, in many forms, would be quite epic.<\/p>\n

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The chaos and sheer bliss that would be unleashed on the streets of the United States\u2019 biggest city are a given, what with the 53-year drought between titles and all (it would be the Knicks\u2019 third ever). As we saw in those first two games, when Knicks fans descended on San Antonio\u2019s Frost Bank Center as if it was their own, this fanbase rolls deep and can be quite dominant in its own right. Much like their favorite team \u2014 the one that has now won 13 consecutive playoff games during this historic, and unexpected, run.<\/p>\n

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But today\u2019s more specific focus is the reputational stakes for the Knicks\u2019 most divisive talent: Karl-Anthony Towns. Of all the players who entered this postseason with something to prove, Towns might have topped the list.<\/p>\n

It has been less than two years since the stunning trade that brought him here from Minnesota, when his reward for helping the Timberwolves reach the West finals for the first time in two decades was to get sent to New York in the three-team deal in which Julius Randle, in essence, took his old job. More importantly, for the purposes of this discussion, it has only been nine months since Giannis Antetokounmpo\u2019s interest in playing for the Knicks created even more job insecurity for Towns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While talks between Milwaukee and New York never gained traction, no one could blame Towns for wondering if history might repeat itself after the Knicks, much like the Timberwolves before them, reached the conference finals for the first time in 25 years last season. Especially considering the Knicks decided not to give him a contract extension around that same time.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to mid-January, when the Knicks lost nine games in 13 tries and Towns was clearly struggling to thrive in first-year coach Mike Brown\u2019s system, and the questions remained<\/a> about whether the 30-year-old, six-time All-Star was the right big man for this Knicks post. But Towns has spent these past seven weeks changing the narrative that surrounded him for so long, playing with the kind of tough, selfless and whatever-it-takes, two-way style that has pushed these Knicks to the brink of something special. And the league-wide chatter about Antetokounmpo coming the Knicks\u2019 way, it\u2019s safe to say, has certainly died down as a result<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Along the way, with Towns leading the Knicks in playoff plus-minus while averaging 17.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the playoffs, it has become quite evident that he deserves the kind of respect that some of his peers have been loath to give over the years (from Jimmy Butler on down the line). His defense against Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama in this series\u2019 first two games should be enough to reshape how he\u2019s viewed. That this revelatory showing comes after Randle struggled so mightily to contain Wemby in the Spurs\u2019 second-round win over Minnesota, meanwhile, surely makes it all that much sweeter for Towns. (Conversely, what might Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards be thinking as he ponders the what-if of it all right about now?)<\/p>\n

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To hear Brown discuss Towns after Game 2 was to realize how far their relationship has come. The creative tension between them was no secret earlier this season, but Brown offered a blow-by-blow account of a process that has clearly put the Knicks in a much healthier, and more dangerous, place. Brown has a tendency to be a little long-winded, but this is worth the \u201clisten\u201d for anyone who is curious how they\u2019re managing to pull this craziness off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came in with a great plan,\u201d Brown said when asked about Towns\u2019 evolution. \u201cMaybe the plan doesn\u2019t work. Who adjusts: Him or me? Me. I adjust. (But) the adjustment\u2019s not enough. Every once in a while, we\u2019re not on the same page. We talk about it. We talk about it. I adjust again. A little bit better. He\u2019s feeling good. We talk about it. We talk \u2014 maybe we take a couple of steps backwards because what I did, he doesn\u2019t like, which is fine.<\/p>\n

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{“endpoint”:”https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql”}<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my job as a coach to fit whatever scheme we have on both sides of the floor to all of our players. And if you\u2019re a great player, I\u2019ve got to make a little bit more adjustments, or I\u2019ve got to give a little bit more than you do. We finally got to a point where he was comfortable, (where) I was comfortable, Jalen (Brunson) was comfortable, OG (Anunoby) was comfortable, Mikal (Bridges) was comfortable. And to me, that\u2019s what the regular season is about. The regular season is about finding your way so you can prepare for this time of the year \u2026 So, when we get here, anything we run into, we\u2019ve already conquered during the regular season, and we\u2019ll know how to handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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If the Knicks do, in fact, tie the bow on this NBA Finals package, there will still be a discussion to be had with Towns about securing his services for the long-term. He has one guaranteed season left on his current deal, with a player option worth $61 million for the 2027-28 campaign, and is eligible for a massive extension (four years and a combined $272 million).<\/p>\n

The reality of today\u2019s NBA means there are second-apron concerns for the Knicks to take into consideration, and a desire to be prudent enough with the payroll so as not to compromise roster depth. But the tone of those talks, given everything Towns has done here, should be far more flattering toward him this time around. He deserves immense credit for that much.<\/p>\n

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As a final disclaimer here, anyone who deems this Knicks title talk premature should consider this: Since 1984, teams that took the first two games of a seven-game series on the road are 27-4. RIP to my social media mentions if they should somehow manage to blow it, but it\u2019s a risk I was willing to take.<\/p>\n

Adam Silver defends 65-game rule<\/h2>\n

This flew under the radar amid all the Knicks-inspired noise, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed his counterintuitive, data-based view of the load management debate while speaking with a small group of reporters on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Silver had already reiterated his support for the controversial 65-game rule during his annual pre-finals press conference the day before, stating flatly that he thinks it\u2019s working while making it clear that it wasn\u2019t going anywhere anytime soon. The National Basketball Players Association called for the rule to be \u201cabolished or reformed\u201d in late March<\/a>, when it became clear that a number of high-profile players would be ruled ineligible to receive regular season awards.<\/p>\n

But it was the more nuanced part of Silver\u2019s perspective on the player participation policy, shared in a more informal setting at the Denver Heights Community Center where the league\u2019s NBA Cares event took place, that might raise eyebrows among those who believe players are in desperate need of a lighter workload.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur star participation was up, actually, significantly this year,\u201d Silver began. \u201cTaking injuries out (of the equation), with so-called load management or one-day absences (being the focus), we\u2019re down 30 percent this year. \u2026(Players) don\u2019t want to disappoint the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Silver detailed even further, the league\u2019s internal data suggests that extended rest might be part of the problem rather than the solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn so-called load management, I think that the only place where we see an uptick in injuries is not towards the end of the season when guys have played more games,\u201d Silver continued. \u201cThe only place we see upticks is after the All-Star break. \u2026 Whether it\u2019s just correlation, or it turns out there\u2019s causation, it may be because (players) are not getting appropriate load during those days they take off.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think this is an area where (artificial intelligence) will help us. (AI) is in all medical research, where you can aggregate enormous amounts of data to see better trends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet the part that he didn\u2019t discuss, and which has been such a focal point for those who believe the league should either shrink its schedule or perhaps even shorten games, is that the pace-and-space element of today\u2019s NBA is putting players in harm\u2019s way more than ever before. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been as vocal as anyone on the issue, advocating for the regular-season schedule to have 10 fewer games while expressing concern about the recent rash of lower-body injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pace difference is dramatic,\u201d Kerr said in November. \u201cAcross the league, everybody understands now that it\u2019s just easier to score if you can beat the opponent down the floor and get out and transition. But when everybody\u2019s doing that, the games are much faster-paced. And then everyone has to cover out to 25 feet because everybody can shoot 3s.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Silver and the experts he has tracking this issue, from the sound of it, simply don\u2019t see it that way.<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson and the great (small) point guard debate<\/h2>\n

Speaking of Knicks who might change how they\u2019re perceived, Brunson is breaking through the small-point-guard barrier that has long been a topic of great debate in the Association. The question, one which Las Vegas Aces head coach (and former Spurs assistant) Becky Hammon took head on during her time as an ESPN analyst in Dec. of 2023 and doubled down on recently, is whether having a big point guard is a prerequisite for championship teams (with players such as Isiah Thomas and Steph Curry the rare exceptions).<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, he too small,\u201d Hammon, the 5-foot-6 Hall of Famer who did not win a title in her illustrious playing career, famously said back then of the 6-foot-2 Brunson.<\/p>\n

Quite fittingly, Brunson\u2019s Knicks took the first two games of these NBA Finals with Hammon\u2019s retired San Antonio Silver Stars jersey \u2014 wait for it \u2014 looking down on him from the Frost Bank Center rafters.<\/p>\n

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\n Becky Hammon\u2019s San Antonio Silver Stars jersey hangs at Frost Bank Arena. (Chris Covatta \/ NBAE via Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Even with the 2-0 series lead, the scary part for the Spurs is that Brunson hasn\u2019t played all that well just yet. His 13-point fourth quarter in Game 1 was the stuff of legend, but Brunson\u2019s overall performance \u2014 12-of-31 shooting with four turnovers and just two assists \u2014 was subpar by his lofty standards. He was even worse for most of Game 2, missing 18 of 25 shots in all with four turnovers and a minus-10 rating. To be fair, he still found a way to be \u201cCaptain Clutch\u201d at the end. Brunson\u2019s 19-footer with 39 seconds left tied it at 104-104, and he scooped up the Wembanyama turnover with 10 seconds left<\/a> that ultimately decided it when he hit one of the two ensuing free throws after he was fouled.<\/p>\n

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But the counting stats make you think he\u2019s due for a breakout game. Brunson is shooting just 33.9 percent overall and 23.5 percent from 3 so far in this series, averaging as many assists as turnovers (four per game). And the Knicks, who so many of us thought had only a puncher\u2019s chance of being here all season long, are still in pole position to pull off the improbable.<\/p>\n

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To wit: The great John Hollinger had them as a \u2018Tier 4\u2019 title contender in early March<\/a>: \u201cThe Dangerous,\u201d as he called that group which also included Cleveland and Minnesota. I wrote a piece not long before that<\/a> in which I ranked them eighth among the eight teams that, in my view, had some sort of chance to win it all.<\/p>\n

Next to no one outside of that locker room saw that coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings take time,\u201d said Brunson, who often repeats the key points in his messaging just like Brown, after Game 2. \u201cWe knew that we just had to get better every single day \u2014 every single day. In the world we live in now, everyone wants things instantly. So from our perspective, it\u2019s all about just getting better every single day, keep chipping away, keep chipping away, being one percent better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you take steps back, how can you improve? It\u2019s always about, \u2018How can you improve? How can you improve?\u2019 Having that mentality and focus and approach, I think, allows us to still be students of the game and still find ways to learn, even through wins. And I think we need to continue to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

If they do, Gotham City mayhem will ensue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 Sir Isaac Newton would like a word about these NBA Finals. In a postmortem sort of way, of course. Since the famed polymath taught us 340 years ago how \u201cfor every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,\u201d and this storied New York Knicks franchise that hasn\u2019t won it all in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1977105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1977105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977105\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1977105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1977105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1977105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}