The Knicks stealing Game 1 looked like a brutal blow for San Antonio, but NBA Finals history gives the Spurs a reason not to panic yet.
New York beat San Antonio 105-95 at Frost Bank Center, erasing a 14-point deficit and taking home-court advantage in the series.
That sounds damaging, and it is. But the Spurs’ bigger task is not rewriting history, it is responding before one bad fourth quarter becomes a pattern.
Knicks Game 1 win gives Spurs a strange NBA Finals opening
The note from Sean Grande matters because Game 1 history can look harsh at first glance, yet still leave San Antonio a real path.
Teams that lose Game 1 of the Finals have usually lost the series, with the record sitting at 24-55 entering this matchup. That is bad math, but 24 comebacks are enough to keep this from becoming a death sentence.
The Knicks also made Spurs history. NBA.com noted New York became the first team to beat San Antonio in Game 1 of an NBA Finals, with the Spurs previously 6-0 in those games.
That makes the loss uncomfortable, not terminal. San Antonio is dealing with something new, and how Victor Wembanyama handles Game 2 will tell us more than one ugly finish did.
Victor Wembanyama’s calm response matters after Knicks loss
Wembanyama finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but the box score flattered the night. He shot 6-for-21, committed six turnovers and looked rushed late.
New York’s physicality bothered him. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson crowded his catches, pushed him away from the rim and forced tougher looks.
Still, Wembanyama did not sound shaken afterward. He said he was not worried, and that calm matters because the Spurs follow his emotional lead.
Spurs must fix the fourth quarter before Game 2
The real issue was not Game 1 history. It was San Antonio’s fourth quarter, when the Spurs shot poorly, coughed up possessions and let Jalen Brunson control the closing stretch.
Brunson scored 30 points, while OG Anunoby delivered key fourth-quarter offense. New York also protected the ball better when the game tightened.
For the Spurs, the correction is obvious. Get Wembanyama moving toward the rim, punish Towns’ foul risk and stop letting New York’s size turn every possession into a wrestling match.
The Knicks landed the first punch. History says San Antonio is in trouble, but not finished.
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