San Antonio has held double-digit leads in both games of the Finals against the Knicks—a 14-point lead in Game 1 and a 12-point lead in Game 2—but has no wins to show for it. New York closed out Game 1 with an 11–0 run in the final two minutes, and Victor Wembanyama committed a costly turnover with 11 seconds to play in the Spurs’ Game 2 loss. Now, the Spurs find themselves where 37 other teams in NBA history have been before: facing a 2–0 series deficit in the NBA Finals. Of those previous 37 teams, only five have come back to win the championship. Three others forced a Game 7 and lost. Since the first edition of the Finals in 1947, it’s been more common for teams facing a 2–0 Finals deficit to get swept (nine times) than to force a Game 7 and/or complete a comeback and hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy (eight times). The Spurs don’t have to look too far back in league annals to find an example of a team to overcome it, though. In 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks trailed the Suns 2–0 after losing the first two games of the Finals by a total of 23 points. Just about every pundit proclaimed the series was over until Antetokounmpo turned things around in…
Published: June 6, 2026 5:03 pm
Source: Sports Illustrated — Read original