Much like the Cleveland Cavaliers never recovered from blowing a 22-point lead against the New York Knicks in the East Finals, the San Antonio Spurs may be cooked after squandering a 29-point lead in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
However, the psychological blow could not only derail the Spurs in this year’s NBA Finals but also cost them future chances of competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. That’s the opinion of four-time NBA champion Draymond Green.
After the Spurs allowed the Knicks to complete the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, Green explained why the Spurs fanbase should be worried.
Did Knicks Break the Spurs?
“Everyone was talking about OKC having a dynasty, then the Spurs come along this year and everybody’s like ‘Yo, for the next 10 years [they’ll have a dynasty].’
“That’s the type of loss that can derail what you’re possibly gonna become,” Green said on “Inside the NBA” while analyzing San Antonio’s heartbreaking loss.
Green doubled down on the same take on his podcast on Friday.
“Now, there’s more things that you have to overcome,” Green said of the Spurs.
“When people have that mindset about you [that you can blow leads], that’s another thing you have to overcome. It’s like when somebody thinks you’re soft.
“With these Spurs now, somewhere in the back of their minds, it’ll always be, ‘Are we safe?’ That’s another thing that can derail what they can become,” he added.
Can Spurs Stay Alive in NBA Finals?
The Spurs will get a chance to prove Draymond Green and others wrong on Saturday night when they host the Knicks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. If the Spurs, who are down 3-1 in the series, can stave off elimination, they’ll head into Tuesday’s Game 6 with a lot more confidence — knowing that Game 7 will be held in their building.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama feels his team has the mental fortitude to replicate what the Cleveland Cavaliers did in 2016 — overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Wembanyama said of rallying back to win the series, via ESPN.
“Everybody thinks, everybody knows, we’re going to do it. We need to isolate that one game and take it one game at a time. It would be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”
One thing working against the Spurs is that Game 5 could feel like a Knicks home game, with reports suggesting that more than 50% of tickets have been purchased by fans travelling from the New York and New Jersey areas. Furthermore, the Knicks have performed better on the road (8-1) than at home (7-2) in these playoffs, and haven’t lost an away fixture since Game 3 of the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. In nine away games, they’ve outscored opponents by 19.0 points while shooting 40% from three. That includes their opening two wins against the Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Spurs vs Knicks Game 5 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Spurs enter as 5.5-point betting favorites to force a Game 6 back in New York.
Spurs Get Worrying Message From Draymond Green on Future