It's not an ideal situation for the San Antonio Spurs, who trail the New York Knicks two games to none so far in the 2026 NBA Finals, and the series has now shifted to Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York for Games 3 and 4.
The Spurs need more from their top players than what they've been getting. So far, star Victor Wembanyama has been averaging 27.5 points while grabbing 10.5 rebounds and a pair of blocks per game while shooting 40.5% from the field.
But according to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, there's a whole different level that he can reach that Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks has been neutralizing.
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“I saw some idiots and fools on television talking about the MVP so far,” Barkley said via Awful Announcing on X. “They don't know anything about basketball. They haven't been watching the games. The reason Wemby hasn't played well is because Karl-Anthony is kicking his ass. Let's call it out what it is.”
So far in the Finals, Towns is averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 55.6% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range. He's been a major factor in limiting the effectiveness of Wembanyama as well as the rest of the Spurs, who now face the daunting task of having to win four of the next five games to stave off elimination from the postseason.
The Knicks are trying to claim their first NBA title since 1973, while the Spurs hope to reach the mountaintop for the first time since 2014. Tip-off for Game 3 is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday evening.
It's not an ideal situation for the San Antonio Spurs, who trail the New York Knicks two games to none so far in the 2026 NBA Finals, and the series has now shifted to Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York for Games 3 and 4. The Spurs need more from their top players than what they've been getting.