Starting 5: Game 2 of 2026 NBA Finals awaits

Can the Spurs level the Finals at 1-1?

Or will the Knicks go back to New York up 2-0?

Game 2 tips tonight (8:30 ET, ABC | Tap to Watch).

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Game 2 In 2 Minutes: Knicks eye 13th straight dub & 2-0 lead, Spurs ready to respond

“Back To 0-0”: New York turned the page after its Game 1 win at Thursday’s media day

“Series Are Long”: Down 1-0, the Spurs are remaining calm. Here’s what they said at Media Day

Finals Film Study: John Schuhmann pinpoints a Knicks’ defensive adjustment that helped seal Game 1

Forever Finals: One year ago today, Tyrese Haliburton delivered another impossible finish

1. GAME 2 IN 2 MINUTES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Game 1 of this much-anticipated NBA Finals delivered a classic, with Jalen Brunson playing hero to give the Knicks a 1-0 series lead.

Go behind the scenes in a brand-new episode of Chasing History, hot off the presses.

Tonight in Game 2 (8:30 ET, ABC), the stakes get even higher.

• For New York: The Knicks aim to become just the third team ever to win both Games 1 & 2 of the Finals on the road, joining the ’93 Bulls and the ‘95 Rockets – both of whom went on to win the title
• For San Antonio: While no team has won the Finals after dropping Games 1 & 2 at home, teams that split the first two games in their own building have a 28-12 all-time series record (70%)

Historic Heater: The Knicks enter tonight riding a 12-game win streak. Another win would make them just the 2nd team ever to reach 13 straight victories in a single postseason, joining the 2016-17 Warriors (15).

But what makes New York’s streak so remarkable isn’t just the length – it’s the variety of ways the Knicks have extended it, through both dominance and resilience.

• Dozen Dominance: Amid the win streak, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by +272 points – the largest point differential in any 12-game span in NBA history (regular season or Playoffs)
• Rare Rally: That included erasing a 14-point 3rd quarter deficit on Wednesday, marking the 5th-largest Finals comeback since play-by-play data was first tracked in 1997-98
• No Quit New York: The win marked the Knicks’ sixth 14+ point comeback in the last two postseasons – the most such rallies in a two-year Playoff span this century

Leading The Latest Charge? Brunson (30 pts), AKA “Captain Clutch,” who scored 13 in the 4th quarter of Game 1, capped by an improbable, off-balance dagger with 38 ticks left.

• “When the ball is in his hands, I’m never surprised,” said Karl-Anthony Towns of Brunson’s ability to hit big shots. “I’ll tell you that last shot … that was nasty.”

Complete Close: Towns was a force himself, fueling a key 25-11 3rd-quarter run, while Josh Hart’s hustle helped flip the game late during an 11-0 closing run. That surge marked the most unanswered points to close a Finals game in nine years.

The result? New York is now three wins shy of its first NBA title in 53 years.

The Spurs are no strangers to battling back, either. San Antonio faced a 1-0 series deficit vs. Minnesota in the West semis, before falling into 2-1 and 3-2 holes against OKC in the West Finals.

They responded with series-tying wins in all three spots – with Victor Wembanyama leading the charge.

• Alien Answers: San Antonio is 5-1 this postseason following a loss. In those games, Wembanyama (5 GP) has averaged 26.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks
• “We’re not here by chance,” said Wemby yesterday. “It’s reassuring to know these guys, the 18 guys we got, are built this way, and are resilient.”

Resilient & Ready: That includes two difference-makers rising to the moment. After splashing six 3s in Game 7 vs. OKC, Julian Champagnie sparked San Antonio on Wednesday with five triples en route to 16 points.

Meanwhile, rookie Dylan Harper (16 pts, 8 reb in Game 1) has delivered time and time again in pressure-packed spots.

Now, the stakes ramp up for Game 2. Can the young Spurs answer again, or will the Knicks take a 2-0 series lead?

• “We’re gonna be better,” said Harper on Thursday. “We’re gonna bounce back.”
• Said KAT: “It’s 0-0. The next game is the most important game of the year.”

Live From San Antonio: Get an early look inside the arena starting at 5:30 ET, catch both coaches as they meet with the media pregame, then stay tuned postgame for pressers from both teams — live in the NBA App & NBA.com.

2. HUMILITY & SACRIFICE – WHAT THE KNICKS ARE SAYING

Thursday brought another Media Day for the Knicks and Spurs in San Antonio, as both teams turned their attention from the Knicks’ Game 1 comeback to what’s ahead in Game 2 tonight (8:30 ET, ABC).

The Knicks were up first, ready to turn the page on Wednesday’s team-first win.

“Our biggest game is our next game, cause it’s our next game,” Mikal Bridges said …

• “The thing about us is, we don’t really look at it as a win streak. We just take it one game at a time … It’s always just 1-0 if you win, but then after that game goes, it’s back to 0-0.”
• “He’s been unbelievable,” Bridges said of Karl-Anthony Towns. “You’re in a new offense, trying to figure it out … to try to be the best version of himself, and defensively too. It’s a lot we ask for him to do, on both ends …”
• Queen On The Scene: Pelicans C Derik Queen was ready to report as Game 2 Media Day’s Player Correspondent and used the opportunity to get KAT’s advice
• “Just be infatuated with the work,” Towns told the rookie. “The magic really is in the work. The real gift about experience is you’ll find ways to accomplish the same goal … using way less energy.”

Towns admittedly borrowed from Jalen Brunson’s mantra, “The Magic is in the Work,” in that answer — another indicator of Captain Clutch’s impact on his team.

Yet, after his latest magical moment for the Knicks on Wednesday, Brunson’s teammates spoke about how underrated he still is.

• “He keeps proving people wrong, game-by-game …” Josh Hart said. “As a friend and a teammate … you know he’s one of the best players in the league and you’re happy that he’s starting to get some recognition.”
• Who’s Beating Brunson? OG Anunoby said of his captain, “He’s a great player. No matter who he’s playing against, he always has the same confidence in himself.”
• “Credit to how he plays the game, how he goes about life. He’s got that mental toughness, and he’s gonna fight, no matter what,” Bridges said of Brunson playing through injury in Game 1

Brunson received high marks for his first Finals action, and shared this key takeaway.

“It’s all about: how can you be better the next possession, how can you find a way to make an impact when things aren’t going well? Controlling what you can control, I think, is a big thing.”

• “It’s easy to get wrapped up in … wanting to show people what you can do on the biggest stage,” Hart learned of the Finals. “That’s not really my assignment …
• “When you have a group of guys that have that willingness to sacrifice, and that humility, that breeds a championship culture.”
• Hart, who became the first player since 1968 to record 15 reb and 5 ast in under 30 minutes of a Finals game, sees that same humility in Jose Alvarado, a native New Yorker who still can’t believe he’s playing for the Knicks in the Finals

New York has a shot at a 2-0 Finals start on the road Friday, where Brunson and co. will be “feeling the love” again from a traveling fanbase that’s been giving the Knicks “a boost” all throughout their streak.

3. ‘NOT HERE BY CHANCE’ – WHAT THE SPURS ARE SAYING

“One thing we have learned in our three series is: series are long.”

A relaxed coach Mitch Johnson set the tone for his trailing Spurs at Thursday’s media day, embodying a classic Coach Pop-ism that Victor Wembanyama recited earlier this postseason:

“When you win, you’re never as good as you think you are, and when you lose, you’re never as bad.”

The Spurs have seen the opposing team take one of the first two games in San Antonio in all three series they’ve hosted this postseason. Battling back has become almost second nature.

• “It’s reassuring to know that these guys, the 18 guys we got, are built this way and are resilient,” said Wemby. “We know we’re not here by chance.”
• “Regardless of what went down [Wednesday], I’m just blessed to be in this position and try to get some more,” Dylan Harper said. “This is every basketball player’s dream.”
• “Figuring out how you can play on those courts, definitely, I feel like it translates,” Julian Champagnie said of his upbringing on NYC’s high-pressure courts, which he and Jose Alvarado revisited in Game 1
• “As the series goes on, you get closer to qualification or elimination so, tension level normally rises,” Wemby said of San Antonio’s outlook

Of course, the moment has its share of challenges. San Antonio trails in the Finals for the first time in franchise history, prior to a Game 7 defeat.

Individually, Stephon Castle discussed his assignment of trying to slow down former Kia Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson.

• “Jalen, he likes to use angles a lot more,” Castle said of Brunson, comparing the current Kia Clutch Player of the Year and last round’s matchup, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• “Just trying to keep him from … trying to get to his mid-range and get to spots to where he likes,” Castle said
• “Really, I think the reason we lost that game isn’t even technical,” Wemby said “We just need to play our game. We just need to be normal … trusting each other, trusting the basketball gods, trusting the game plan, executing.”

Keeping the mood light, Harper measured himself up to fellow rookie and NBA Player Correspondent Derik Queen.

• “I feel like I had more charisma,” Harper said of his All-Star Weekend correspondence role, where he talked New Jersey geography with his Finals foes
• “I’m lost for words right now.” Joining Queen were Game 2 media day correspondents and basketball content creators the Stokes Twins

4. SCHUHMANN FILM ROOM: HOW NEW YORK’S DEFENSE FLIPPED GAME 1

Before Jalen Brunson once again reached “Captain Clutch” status to seal New York’s 12th straight win, Game 1 was an offensive slugfest.

Defense helped win the day, and in his “Finals Film Study,” NBA.com’s John Schuhmann found a Knicks’ adjustment that cut off a San Antonio’s hotspot:

“[The Spurs] shot 6-for-10 on corner 3-pointers, and several of them were wide-open looks on the weak side of the floor.

The six makes were just one shy of the Spurs’ high for corner 3s in these playoffs and, at halftime, the Spurs had an effective field goal percentage of 90% from the corners and 39% from everywhere else …

In the second half, the Knicks adjusted, making sure not to get too detached from shooters in the weak-side corners…” | Read More

5. FOREVER FINALS: HALIBURTON STUNS OKC IN FINAL SECOND

Surely, he wasn’t going to do it again.

The Pacers had already seen Tyrese Haliburton play hero time and time again during the 2025 Playoffs:

• A series-clincher against Milwaukee with 1.3 seconds left
• A game-winner against Cleveland with 1.1 seconds left
• An iconic buzzer-beater against New York that forced OT for another improbable Indy win

But this was different. This was the NBA Finals. This was against OKC – a 68-win juggernaut that hadn’t lost at home all postseason.

And with 2:52 left in Game 1, the Thunder led by nine.

Since the NBA began tracking such data in 1971, teams were 0-182 in the Finals when trailing by 9+ points in the final three minutes.

Then Haliburton happened – exactly one year ago today.

With 0.3 seconds left, Haliburton splashed a go-ahead jumper, giving Indy its first lead of the night.

Suddenly, that record was 1-182.

The shot didn’t deliver a title – the Thunder ultimately won the series in seven games – but it instantly earned a place in Finals lore, setting the stage for an all-time series.

Here’s what the Game 1 win felt like from the man who made it happen:

“We got the stop,” said Haliburton postgame. “And coach trusts us in those moments to not call timeouts, trusts me in those moments. The guys trust me…

“I just tried to make a play and – man, basketball is fun. Winning is fun … we had so many guys chip in…

“We’ve had to figure out ways to win in so many different ways … so many weird, different ways … and we’ve just found a way…

“We just keep believing … and it ain’t over ’til it’s over…

“It ain’t over ’til it hits zero.”

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