The Knicks took Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and now the Spurs need Victor Wembanyama to be more than a scorer who can be crowded out of the paint. San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 star shot 6-for-21 in the opener, made 29% of his attempts and got only nine of his 21 shots inside the lane, far from the kind of paint-heavy night the Spurs need from him in Game 2.
That search is why the Knicks game tonight conversation has already moved to Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Game 2 arrives fast after a first game in which Wembanyama had only his third-worst shooting performance of the season, with a minimum of 15 shots, and the Knicks still came away with the win despite playing what was described as their worst offensive game of the playoffs.
For the Spurs, the number that matters is not just the misses. It is the shot quality. During the regular season, Wembanyama took 58% of his shots in the paint, a far cleaner profile than the one he showed in Game 1. If San Antonio is going to steady this series, it has to find a way to get him easier looks against a Knicks defense that is focused on rim protection and on keeping the lob game from turning into a shortcut.
New York, though, did not win by solving the clock. The Knicks want to play fast, but they also took 34 shots in the last seven seconds of the shot clock in Game 1 and still won, going 9-for-34 overall and 3-for-12 from 3-point range in those late-clock possessions. They were scoreless on six straight possessions in the fourth quarter before Jalen Brunson hit a fadeaway over Devin Vassell in the final minute to put the game away.
That is the awkward truth heading into Friday: both teams probably believe they can play better, but only one has the luxury of saying so while up 1-0. The Knicks found a way through a rough offensive night, and the Spurs have to decide quickly whether Wembanyama can force the paint, draw cleaner help and make Game 2 look less like a grind. If he does not, New York’s late-clock survival may end up being the first real edge of the series.
