If you thought the San Antonio Spurs might never truly recover after blowing a 29-point lead to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, here’s another reason to believe the series could be over as early as Saturday.
According to TickPick (via NBA Central), the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio is going to feel like a Knicks home game, with 45% of ticket sales so far coming from the New York and New Jersey markets.
Most tickets for Game 5 in San Antonio are being purchased by New Yorkers, with 37% of sales coming from New York.
The get-in price has also surged by $1,000 following the Knicks’ Game 4 win
Top billing states:
• New York — 37%
• Texas — 12%
• New Jersey — 8%
Spurs Face Elimination in NBA Finals
Earlier in the series, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was asked about Knicks fans taking over his team’s home games. The Frenchman refused to blame the Knicks fan invasion for his team’s back-to-back losses in Games 1 and 2.
“Maybe it has an impact. But if it does, it’s negligible,” Wemby said of Knicks fans making their presence felt in San Antonio, Texas.
“And it’s definitely not a factor in our performance,” he added.
Another worrying aspect for the Spurs is that the Knicks have performed better on the road than at home in these playoffs, while dealing with fewer distractions and just focusing on basketball. That’s precisely why 23-year veteran LeBron James was not shocked to see the Knicks jump out to a 2-0 NBA Finals lead with two road wins.
“Them starting on the road and just keeping the main thing the main thing and focusing on basketball [helped them],” James said of the Knicks on his podcast.
“When you’re in San Antonio, you’re focused on basketball,” he added. “You ain’t doing [expletive] in San Antonio, nothing at all. Nothing, and I mean nothing.”
Can Knicks Close Out the Spurs?
Further to James’ point, the Knicks are 8-1 on the road in the playoffs, not having lost a game 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.
Several analysts beleive the youthful Spurs — the second-youngest NBA Finals team in history — will struggle to bounce back after the devastating Game 4 loss. ESPN’s Zach Kram wonders if the Spurs can recover psychologically after allowing the Knicks to pull off the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
“….San Antonio’s downfall unfolded over the course of an excruciating hour, as a 29-point lead dwindled and withered and ultimately disappeared,” he wrote.
“The Spurs famously espouse the philosophy of the stonecutter who knows that his first 100 strikes with a hammer are just as important as the 101st blow that finally splits the rock in two. On Wednesday, the Spurs were the metaphorical rock, unable to ward off strike after strike after strike from the Knicks’ relentless hammer until Anunoby’s tip dealt the final blow.”
Spurs enter Game 5 as 5.5-point betting favorites, but those betting lines mean nothing anymore, as they were similarly favored by 5.5 points and 6.5 points in Games 1 and Game 2, respectively, only to drop both games.
Spurs Hit With Bad News Ahead of NBA Finals Game 5 vs Knicks