Shannon Sharpe thinks the San Antonio Spurs’ biggest problem in the NBA Finals is not talent, but inexperience showing up at the worst possible time.
The Knicks have taken a 2-0 lead after winning both games in San Antonio, and each loss followed a familiar pattern for the Spurs.
They had leads, they had Victor Wembanyama playing well, but they never looked fully ready to handle the biggest moments.
Shannon Sharpe sees the Spurs’ inexperience clearly
Sharpe’s point was that San Antonio may be too young to fully understand how loud this stage is supposed to feel.
“Maybe they don’t know they’re not supposed to be in awe of this moment, maybe they don’t know what it’s supposed to be, you know, like, “Man, we’re at MSG, we’re in game three, we’re on the road.” I mean, the average age is 25, maybe they don’t know.”
The age point checks out. San Antonio’s roster average is 26.8, but the number drops to 25.5 when weighted by minutes and 24.3 when weighted by usage.
Knicks stars punish Spurs’ clutch mistakes
Wembanyama has kept the Spurs in both games, posting 26 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1, then following up with 29 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks in Game 2.
The Knicks’ stars have been cleaner late. Jalen Brunson scored 30 points in the opener and hit the decisive free throw in Game 2, while Karl-Anthony Towns has started the series with back-to-back double-doubles.
San Antonio let a 14-point lead slip away in Game 1, then lost another double-digit advantage in Game 2, which ended with a late Wembanyama turnover and missed jumper as the Knicks escaped 105-104.
Spurs face a must-win Knicks storm
That is why Game 3 already feels critical. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, and the Spurs now need to steady themselves inside Madison Square Garden.
It will not be a welcoming environment. Upper-deck seats have been listed above $6,000, courtside tickets are going for more than $75,000, and New York is treating its first home Finals game since 1999 like a citywide celebration.
The Spurs have the talent to make this a series. Sharpe’s question is whether they have enough experience to handle the moment before the Knicks turn it into a coronation.
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