Stephon Castle was terrific defensively in the Spurs' first two games of the NBA Finals, but there are two sides of the ball, and he was letting his team down on the offensive end. As great as it is to slow down the opposition when possible, you have to score points. He wasn't doing enough of that in Games 1 and 2, but he corrected that in Madison Square Garden tonight.
The lights couldn't be brighter for a 21-year-old combo guard for Georgia. He was playing in the Big Apple, and the Knicks were up 2-0, with an atmosphere so electric that Texans could feel the burden on the grid from across the country.
Unfortunately for Knicks fans, this kid has pedigree and poise. San Antonio's 115-111 win doesn't happen without him, and it's just another glimpse into what lies on the other side of Castle's growth.
Castle has immense potential as a star in the NBA
Everything Steph does, like the other young studs on this team, needs to be framed by remembering his age. By most metrics, the Spurs are not supposed to be here. Regardless of that, they're showing up, expecting to win on the biggest stages anyway. The former UConn champion put up 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block while playing hellacious defense all night.
MSG was on fire tonight. You could feel the energy pulsating through your television screen. The celebrities came out, the president of the United States made an appearance, and all of the pomp and circumstance seemed to feed the Knicks machine. They were almost being touted as the team of destiny, and every run they made felt massive because of how engaged their crowd was.
However, San Antonio was the aggressor to start the game, and every run New York made was met with a response from the visitor. After a couple of terribly inefficient performances to start the series, Castle shot 57% FG, 40% 3PT, and 83% FT. It's everything Spurs fans hope to see from such a talented young player. He can be so much more than a connector.
We've seen Steph notch 30-point triple-doubles, lock up the best players on the opposing teams, and hit some of the biggest shots in some of the most critical games. If he keeps sharpening his tools, he's an obvious perennial all-star with Hall of Fame potential. Whether he reaches that is up to him, but based on what we've seen so far, you should be willing to take that bet.
