The New York Knicks lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals at home to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, but still very much have the upper hand in this series. That’s down to the Knicks winning Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio, and LeBron James feels starting the series on the road was better for them.
While explaining on his Mind the Game podcast about how being away from the chaos in New York helped the Knicks, James proceeded to take a hilarious shot at San Antonio.
“Knicks fans right now are so f***ing insane and crazy right now for a Finals game,” James said. “That them starting off on the road and just knowing that it’s keeping the main thing the main thing. The main thing of the main thing is the game. Let’s just play the game. I can only imagine if Game 1 started at Madison Square Garden.
“People asking for tickets, people want to be in there, the fans, all that,” James continued. “… Yeah, the city’s on fire, and it’s going to be on fire for Game 3. We know that. But I think just them having a level of being in San Antonio… We focused on basketball. You ain’t doing s*** in San Antonio. Nothing at all. Nothing.”
Co-host Steve Nash asked James about the River Walks in San Antonio, and he made it clear he wasn’t going there.
“Hell no,” James said. “You get on a River Walk, f*** around, and fall in the water.”
James has been incredibly blunt when sharing his thoughts about NBA cities in recent times. He, of course, caused a bit of a stir when he shared how much he dislikes playing in Memphis, which just so happens to be the largest majority-Black city in the U.S.
James made it clear later that race had nothing to do with his comments, but doubled down by saying Memphis and Milwaukee are two cities he doesn’t like playing in. He added that he doesn’t like going to Akron either, despite it being home.
San Antonio probably isn’t near the bottom of James’ list, but it certainly isn’t too high either. The 41-year-old has had to go there plenty of times, though.
James has played 24 regular-season games in San Antonio and has gone 12-12 in them. He faced off against the Spurs three times in the NBA Finals as well in 2007, 2013, and 2014, and went 2-6 on the road.
San Antonio certainly hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for James. To be fair to him, that was the case for most of the NBA for much of the 21st century.
The Spurs were a powerhouse in the Tim Duncan era, winning championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. They would struggle in the late 2010s and early 2020s, but have now emerged as a force again, with Victor Wembanyama leading the way.
Wembanyama shone with 32 points (11-18 FG), eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and three blocks in the Spurs’ 115-111 win in Game 3 of these Finals. They’re going to need more magic from the Frenchman if they are to tie this series and regain home-court advantage.
