NEW YORK — Picked up pieces while getting ready for one of the wildest atmospheres in NBA history Monday night …
Knicks fans’ joy vs. players’ focus
Before his practice day news conference started, Mike Brown had something to say. “A great day for me today,” the Knicks coach said. “For the first time I got a chance to meet Ben Stiller. I don’t know if he’s in here or not. I actually gave him a handshake and a hug. I got my man Fat Joe sitting in the back. This is a great day for Mike Brown.”
Indeed, Fat Joe, sitting alongside fellow New York–based rapper Jadakiss, was in the back, and even asked a question as Brown’s news conference was wrapping up. Joe wanted to know the story behind the P.F. Flyers Brown wears on the sideline. Brown reminded him those were the shoes Bob Cousy once endorsed. Joe asked Brown if he could get a pair signed “when we win.” Brown, a little uncomfortably, laughed, “Yes.”
Fat Joe, Ben Stiller. Just a normal Finals presser. @SInow pic.twitter.com/wphwfAIO0A
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) June 7, 2026
Knicks fans are ready to celebrate. Up 2–0 in the NBA Finals, the millions of them—celebrities and civilians alike—can taste the end of this 53-year title drought. The players, though, are doing everything possible to deflect attention from this early series lead. “This is the NBA Finals,” said Karl-Anthony Towns. “There’s no time to take any game easy or to take any game lightly.” Josh Hart says he has avoided going outside. “If you walk around the city or you go to different places and people are singing your praises and doing all that, it’s very easy to get complacent and to listen to those things and start feeling good,” said Hart. “Then you start relaxing.”
The Knicks know what is coming on Monday. No team has ever rallied from a 2–0 Finals deficit after losing the first two games at home. But, theoretically, it’s surmountable. No team has ever rallied from a 3–0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series. There will be desperation in the Spurs in Game 3.
“We’re at a stage now where the next game is going to be the biggest game until we’re not playing,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. “We got one game [tonight] at 8:30 in Madison Square Garden. It’s the only game that matters. We got to come in here ready to win it.”
Victor Wembanyama stays optimistic
On Sunday, visitors to New York’s Gramercy Park got a surprise: Wembanyama on a bench, drawing. Video of Wemby’s impromptu art class quickly went viral. It’s at least the second time cameras have caught the Spurs center experiencing Manhattan’s culture. Two years ago he was spotted playing chess in Washington Square Park.
Victor Wembanyama drawing with his sister in a park in NYC 🎨
— Wemby Alien Era (@WembyAlienEra) June 8, 2026
(🎥: hoopsnation on IG)#GoSpursGo #PorVida pic.twitter.com/FclI2m7TVv
Despite a rocky start to the series, Wembanyama has not seemed discouraged. He said there were many areas the Spurs could improve on. “It goes from simply not turning the ball over to being smarter about fouls, or even fouling earlier sometimes in the possession,” said Wembanyama. He said the team “needed to capitalize” on some of the effort plays they have had. “It felt like we did a lot of things wrong,” said Wemby. “But we also were relentless and kept pushing, but kind of like wasted that effort.”
And the pressure of potentially falling into a 3–0 hole?
“I think the key is acceptance a lot of times, taking a step back, realizing all the journey that’s behind this and what’s ahead of this,” said Wembanyama. “Just being O.K. with who I am, where I am, what I’m doing. I think this is everything that I wished for. There’s really no reason to overthink it. I mean, this is what I’m built for.”
President Trump’s Madison Square Garden visit
President Trump’s intention to attend Game 3 of the Finals is going over about as well as anticipated. In a statement, the Knicks said that there would be a strict no-bag policy at Madison Square Garden, alerting fans to expect TSA-level screening when entering the building.
Watch parties, which attracted thousands of fans during the first two games, have been banned from areas around the arena. MSG said a permit for the Plaza33 watch party “was denied by the City’s permitting office in consultation with the NYPD.” The NYPD responded by saying the decision was made “in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit.” Guess the fans will have to decide who to believe.
What Spurs need from De’Aaron Fox
A silver lining in the Spurs’ Game 2 loss was the play of De’Aaron Fox, who rebounded from a poor Game 1 to rack up 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Game 2. Fox’s ankle issues have been well documented (“The ankle is what it is,” said Fox) and at this stage it’s unlikely to get much better. Still, Fox is one of the handful of veterans in San Antonio’s rotation. In a frenzied environment like Game 3, the Spurs will need a steady hand. For Fox, the key will be staying aggressive.
“I think coming out of the gate with your foot on the gas, especially on the road, especially, obviously being down 0–2, you have to try to come out and be the aggressor,” Fox said. “We can’t come out and play from behind, or when we get a lead we have to try to find ways to sustain it, because I think we had double-digit leads in both games. So obviously the NBA is a game of runs and you’re playing against a good team. At times they’re going to miss shots, at times they’re going to make shots later in the shot clock or someone is going to make a tough shot. But we have to try to find a way to build upon the leads that we’ve gotten.”
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