After falling behind 0-2, the San Antonio Spurs have their work cut out for them against the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. They blew not one but two games at home and are now left to try and extend the series in New York.
I'm not going to lie, it's definitely bleak, but there is a big silver lining. Through the first two games of the series, they successfully slowed down star Jalen Brunson, forcing him to shoot just 32.1% from the field.
Also, despite him getting off to a strong first-half start, Karl-Anthony Towns was held to just 21 points in game two and is averaging 19.5 to start the NBA Finals.
Simply put, San Antonio's defense has been excellent. It's their offense that has been disappointing. They shot a season-worst 36% from the field in Game 1, and while they shot 47% in Game 2, they managed just 104 points.
The Spurs' defense has been terrific against the Knicks
All things considered, San Antonio's defense has held up surprisingly well. Even with the Knicks having a plethora of shooters, they have held New York to just 41.5% shooting from the field over the first two games.
What has failed San Antonio is their offense, with them unable to keep pace with a Knicks offense that has struggled thus far.
While the Silver and Black's defense has been rock solid, they still need to cut down on offensive rebounds. There have been far too many instances of them playing terrific defense only to have that undermined by giving up an offensive rebound.
It cost them big in both Game 1 and Game 2, and it may ultimately cost them the series if they don't cut that out.
The Spurs offense has failed them at the worst possible time
The Silver and Black had a terrific offense throughout the regular season and even most of the playoffs. Nevertheless, San Antonio has failed to put the ball in the basket consistently enough to beat New York.
What's helped them has been them getting to the free throw line, averaging 23 free throws over the first two games of the series.
Ironically, they have dominated the Knicks in terms of free throw attempts, but if San Antonio had missed seven free throws and they had made just two more, this series would feel completely different.
They can't expect a favorable whistle in game 3 or game 4. Instead, the Spurs will have to actually make shots and keep the Knicks on their toes defensively.
