The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Karl-Anthony Towns was outstanding for the Knicks in this one, and Charles Barkley made it clear on Inside the NBA after the game that he is the Finals MVP.
“He’s been criticized in Minnesota,” Barkley said. “He’s been criticized in New York. The MVP of the Finals is going to be Karl-Anthony Towns. He has played two of the best games I’ve ever seen a big man play. He was great in Game 1. He was great in Game 2. That man earned his flowers.”
Two of the best games Barkley has ever seen a big man play might be a stretch, but Towns has been terrific. The 30-year-old had 18 points (7-15 FG), 12 rebounds, four assists, and one block in the Knicks’ 105-95 Game 1 win. To go with the production, Towns also did a fabulous job of guarding Victor Wembanyama that night. Wembanyama did have 26 points, but went 6-21 from the field.
Then here in Game 2, Towns had 21 points (8-12 FG), 13 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. The six-time All-Star notably had 12 points in the second quarter to help the Knicks seize control of this game after they trailed by as many as 12 earlier in the period.
Towns did go scoreless in the fourth quarter, but grabbed two offensive rebounds in the period and continued to have an impact on the game. He has been so good that even Shaquille O’Neal, one of his harshest critics, sang his praises after this one.
“He’s playing with pace,” O’Neal said. “He’s playing smart. He’s playing inside. He’s outside. He’s controlling the offense with the pass sometime. And listen, he is just playing unbelievable basketball right now. And I agree with you. If it ended today, he would definitely be the Most Valuable Player.”
O’Neal wasn’t sure if the Knicks could go all the way this season because he wasn’t sure which version of Towns would show up, the tiger or the cat. Well, it has been the tiger so far.
Towns is now averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in the Finals while shooting 55.6% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. Those aren’t otherworldly numbers, but he has played very well.
You’d be hard-pressed to find too many who saw this coming with how Towns was struggling at points during the regular season. It seemed like he just wasn’t fitting well under the new head coach, Mike Brown. Brown even benched Towns down the stretch of multiple games, and you wondered if this was going to be his last season with the Knicks. It’s safe to say he isn’t going anywhere now.
Brown decided to turn Towns into the Knicks’ offensive hub in these playoffs, and the results have been spectacular. They have won 13 playoff games in a row now and are two away from matching the Golden State Warriors‘ all-time record of 15. With the way these Knicks are rolling, they could well get to 15.
This series now shifts to New York with the Knicks very much in the driver’s seat. Game 3 tips off at Madison Square Garden on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
