The New York Knicks overcame the San Antonio Spurs to begin the NBA Finals Wednesday. Even Jalen Brunson headed to the locker room with an early injury then were down by 14. But a “calming” presence surfaced for Karl-Anthony Towns and NYK: Towns' late mother as he explained postgame.
KAT dropped 18 points in 34 minutes to help spearhead the 105-95 Game 1 win. The Knicks star is finally on the big stage after falling short with New York last season and with the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 2023-24. Towns got choked up, though, describing the opening win by reflecting back to his mom.
“To be honest with y’all, and I don’t want to sound sugarcoating in any way… I don’t know what it was but I just felt a calming (presence) and a peace that had to be coming from the woman above,” Towns said via Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
KAT continued to think of his late mother, who passed from COVID-19 complications in 2020.
“In a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands. It was fun and was really comforting,” he said. “It felt like a certain presence that was here that was very comforting and very loving. I felt like I could have fun out here in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which is the weirdest thing.”
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New York won more than the opening finals game, but won over long suffering Knicks fans itching for a championship. Even the famed Empire State Building lit up in Knicks colors to celebrate the win.
The Empire State Building celebrating the Knicks’ Game 1 NBA Finals win 🔵🟠 pic.twitter.com/uPTlaiyFx0
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 4, 2026
Now KAT and the Knicks will aim to go up 2-0 on San Antonio when both teams resume Friday.
The New York Knicks overcame the San Antonio Spurs to begin the NBA Finals Wednesday. Even Jalen Brunson headed to the locker room with an early injury then were down by 14. But a “calming” presence surfaced for Karl-Anthony Towns and NYK: Towns' late mother as he explained postgame.