Finals Game Three: Breakdown

June 25, 1999. That was the last time that Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena, hosted an NBA Finals game. It was Game 5 of that series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, and on that evening, the Spurs won a low-scoring battle, 78-77, to capture their first of five NBA Championships. It was a great run overall for the Knicks, finishing as the #8 seed in the East during the lockout-shortened 50-game season, but they still fell three wins short of a championship.

Fast forward to June 8, 2026. The Knicks are back in the Finals, and what do you know? It's against the Spurs! This time, the Knicks managed to double their win total from 1999, and even better, they did it on the road! So the Knicks entered MSG with a 2-0 lead in the Finals, and were two home wins away from their first championship in 53 years. Unfortunately, the Knicks were being dominated in the first quarter, which ended with the Spurs up by 11 points. Yet a wild thing happened: the Knicks exploded in the second! New York outscored San Antonio, 42-24, in the second quarter, resulting in a seven point lead at halftime.

They were going to do it. The Knicks were poised to take this game and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Finals, which would place the Spurs' backs to the wall with pretty much no way out! But that it is where the good news for the Knicks came to an end. The third quarter saw New York's lead totally disappear, and despite how close it was, as well as the Knicks' attempts to stay in the game, they would not regain the advantage they had at halftime. The Spurs took over a second half that was dominated by mishaps and bad calls by the officials, and it resulted in San Antonio getting back in this series.

The Spurs won Game Three, 115-111, marking the team's first Finals game victory since June 15, 2014, when the Spurs won Game Five of that year's Finals to capture their fifth (and most recent) championship. For Victor Wembanyama, it was his first Finals game victory of his young career, and he had 32 points in this game. As for the Knicks, the 13-game winning streak that they racked up during this wild run is now over. This is their first loss since Game Three of Round 1 a month and a half ago. And all because a certain someone had to appear at the game and make it about himself.

This, so far, is an interesting series. The home team has yet to win in this year's Finals. I'm thinking back to another sport where this happened; the 2019 World Series, where the road team won all of the games, resulting in the Washington Nationals capturing their first championship. I don't see a repeat of this happening. The Knicks still have that magic. They nearly took Game Three even after losing control in the second half. If the Knicks start Game Four strong, then they'll head back south just one win away from their first championship since 1973. We will see how this series will play out, but again, it's been an interesting one so far!

Game Four is Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

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