Only five teams in NBA history have come back to win a Finals series after losing the first two games. It’s a seemingly impossible task to swing a series without winning at least splitting the home games, but the San Antonio Spurs are not giving up without a fight.
Even after dropping 0-2, with the series shifting back to New York, the Spurs did not panic. Instead, they rallied together with a strong response in Game 3, capturing the victory to stave off the dreaded 0-3 deficit. After the game, guard Stephon Castle boldly explained that he expects his team to not only win tomorrow’s game, but the next three to win the title.
“Yeah, definitely”, Castle told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “I expect us to win the next three. We’re just taking it game by game, quarter by quarter, and trying to walk this thing down. Those first two games really hurt, and I feel like it was an eye-opener for us. We don’t want it to be that way. We want to punch first and be on the front foot. But that’s the reality of it now, so just trying to take it game by game. We definitely expect to come in here tomorrow and get a win.”
The Spurs struggled out of the gate, being held back by low efficiency and careless offense. Game 2, especially, was a low point for Castle, who finished with just 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 35.7% shooting and 50.0% shooting from three. For the Spurs to continue their momentum, he’ll need to play up to his usual All-Star level standards.
This season in 68 games, he averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 47.1% shooting from the field (33.2% shooting from three). At just 21, Castle has emerged as one of the best young stars in the game, and he’s made a fine co-star for Wembanyama. In the playoffs, his play has been up and down, but he has no doubts about the outcome of the series.
Given what’s at stake, we know the Spurs will bring the intensity, but whether or not they can properly execute the game plan remains to be seen. The Knicks let them get away with a lot of mistakes on Monday, but they may not be so lucky going forward. That’s why it’s imperative for leaders like Castle and Wembanyama to set the example both on the floor and in the locker room.
Together, they can take the Spurs on a miraculous comeback, the likes of which has never been seen before. If the Spurs can deliver an early blow in Game 4 and steal another win on the road, they will be in good shape to potentially take the lead in Game 5, back in front of their home fans. Regardless of their losses so far, one thing the Spurs still have is confidence, and we saw that in full display in how they responded to a must-win scenario on Monday. Whether they can do it again remains to be seen, but Stephon Castle (and others) will be fighting until the last possible second.
