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NBA finals: Knicks face Spurs in Game 5 with chance to clinch first title since 1973 – follow live | NBA finals
Key events
Knicks 28-35 Spurs, 4.06, 2nd quarter
The Knicks have gone on a 10-2 run over the past two and a half minutes that has trimmed the San Antonio lead to seven points. Brunson is leading the charge, quelle surprise, peeling off seven straight for New York with a three-pointer and a pair of mid-range jumpers.
Knicks 12-33 Spurs, 6.41, 2nd quarter
The referee overturns the call on Wembanyama and rules that Towns committed an offensive foul. That means Wembanyama is back down to one foul and Towns has two. Towns stays in the game, unlike in Game 4 when he was benched with a second foul early in the first quarter. A Harper 14ft pull-up jumper makes it 33-18, but Hart answers with a three-pointer to pull the Knicks within 12 points. The Knicks are shooting just 7-for-32 (21.9%) from the floor, but 5-for-12 (41.7%) from beyond the arc.
Knicks 15-31 Spurs, 8.29, 2nd quarter
The Spurs stretch their lead to 15 before Towns finally hits an 18ft turnaround jumper for New York’s first points since 1.00 left in the first. Wembanyama answers with a three from the wing that ignites the crowd, but he’s whistled for his second personal foul moments later. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson is going to challenge this one.
Knicks 13-26 Spurs, 10.34, 2nd quarter
A Julian Champagnie three is sandwiched by two more blocked shots by Wembanyama, already his fourth and fifth of the night. The Spurs are doubling up the Knicks, whose nightmarish shooting night continues. San Antonio’s suffocating defense is dialed in.
End of 1st quarter: Knicks 13-23 Spurs
The Knicks shot 4-for-22 in the first period, finishing with more turnovers (six) than field goals (four). Their 13 points are the fewest they’ve scored in any quarter throughout their postseason run. New York did not score a single point in the paint, going 0-for-8 in the lane during the first quarter while San Antonio outscored them 12-0 inside.
Dylan Harper changed the game off the bench. The rookie entered with 7:49 left and immediately sparked the Spurs, scoring seven points on 3-for-3 shooting, including a three-pointer that pushed the lead to six. He led all scorers except Brunson after one.
Despite shooting 18.2%, New York only trail by 10. That’s probably the most encouraging stat for the Knicks. It’s not easy to go a quarter with four made baskets, six turnovers and zero paint points and remain within striking distance.
Knicks 10-18 Spurs, 1.40, 1st quarter
Brunson cans an 11ft step-back jumper to stop the bleeding, but the Knicks have 10 points with less than two minutes to go in the opening period. They’ve made 3-of-20 shots from the floor.
Knicks 8-18 Spurs, 3.06, 1st quarter
Harper makes back-to-back buckets and Johnson follows with a three. Another seven-point burst for the Spurs and they have a double-digit lead in the first quarter for the fifth straight game in these finals.
Knicks 8-11 Spurs, 5.51, 1st quarter
Wembanyama follows a pair of made free throws with a tip dunk, then Harper makes it seven unanswered for the Spurs to give them a 11-5 lead. Anunoby answers with a corner three and New York only trail by three at the first TV timeout despite shooting 2-for-12 (16.7%) from the floor so far.
Knicks 5-4 Spurs, 8.08, 1st quarter
An incredible defensive start for Wembanyama, who has three blocked shots in the first four minutes. He’s also opened the scoring for the Spurs with a transition dunk that ignites the home crowd. Brunson hits a wide-open three and Champagnie answers with a put-back lay-up. Anunoby drains a pair of free throws to give the Knicks an early lead, but both teams have been frigid in the early stages, shooting a combined 3-for-14 from the floor.
Starting lineups
New York Knicks
PG Jalen Brunson – 6ft 2in, 190lb, Villanova
SG Mikal Bridges – 6ft 6in, 209lb, Villanova
SF Josh Hart – 6ft 4in, 215lb, Villanova
PF OG Anunoby – 6ft 7in, 240lb, Indiana
C Karl-Anthony Towns – 7ft 0in, 248lb, Kentucky
San Antonio Spurs
PG De’Aaron Fox – 6ft 3in, 185lb, Kentucky
SG Stephon Castle – 6ft 6in, 215lb, Connecticut
SF Devin Vassell – 6ft 5in, 200lb, Florida State
PF Julian Champagnie – 6ft 8in, 217lb, St John’s
C Victor Wembanyama – 7ft 4in, 230lb, Metropolitans 92 (France)
It’s national anthem time at the Frost Bank Center. Four-time Grammy nominated country singer Mickey Guyton does the honors. Starting lineups to come and we should be under way any minute now.
One reason the Knicks’ run has resonated so deeply beyond basketball is that it has arrived at a moment when many Americans seem desperate for a distraction. In her Saturday essay for the Guardian, Ankita Rao argues that New York’s improbable march to the brink of a championship has offered a rare escape from the relentless churn of politics and bad news – and a reminder of the communal joy sports can still provide.
Stars – they’re just like us! A healthy chunk of Madison Square Garden’s celebrity row has migrated south with the Knicks one win away from a drought-busting title.
Last week, we took in Game 1 from a place rarely included in the story of New York’s basketball obsession. Before the team moved to the brink of a first title since 1973, the Guardian was granted access to a Knicks watch party inside the Rikers Island jail complex, where thousands of people in custody gathered to experience the NBA finals alongside the rest of the city.
For a few hours, the routines and realities of life behind bars gave way to the same hope, anxiety, superstition and disbelief that have defined this postseason run.
While Knicks fever spilled into bars, restaurants and living rooms and outdoor gatherings across the five boroughs, it also reached one of New York’s least visible and most scrutinized institutions.
The result is a portrait of New York at a singular sporting moment, seen through the eyes of people who are rarely included in the story of the city celebrating itself.
The atmosphere is building in and around San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center, where fans of both teams are showing their colors less than half an hour before tipoff.
The Knicks may be one win from a championship, but they have already conquered another corner of American culture: fashion. From Taylor Swift’s viral “Stevie Knicks” shirt to Timothée Chalamet’s courtside fits, Knicks fandom has become as much a style statement as a sporting allegiance. If you’re wondering how a 53-year title drought turned into the hottest look of the summer, we’ve got two reads for you.
As the series shifts back to San Antonio for Saturday’s Game 5, the mood around the Knicks remains euphoric after Wednesday’s astonishing comeback from 29 points down. But the aftermath of that victory has produced almost as many headlines as the game itself.
New York police said 56 people were taken into custody following post-game unrest around Madison Square Garden, where authorities estimated roughly 10,000 fans gathered after the final buzzer. Ten officers were injured, including one who was struck in the head by a glass bottle. Police said charges ranged from assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct to weapons possession.
The disorder extended beyond the streets surrounding the Garden. Video circulating online showed Spurs star Victor Wembanyama being jeered by fans as he returned to his Manhattan hotel after the game, with an egg tossed in his direction as security escorted him inside. Wembanyama had already spoken out earlier in the week after videos emerged appearing to show Spurs supporters being harassed in the city.
The French star struck a largely defiant tone on Friday as San Antonio attempted to regroup from the largest comeback victory in NBA finals history. “We’re over it. It’s the playoffs,” Wembanyama said of the collapse, adding that the hotel incident “doesn’t bother me”.
No single play can explain how a team squanders a 29-point lead in the NBA finals. But when historians look back on Game 4, they will probably start with De’Aaron Fox racing toward the basket with a one-point lead and less than 15 seconds remaining. Instead of forcing the Knicks to foul, Fox attacked the rim. OG Anunoby blocked his lay-up attempt. Moments later, the Knicks had completed the largest comeback in finals history. Here’s our closer look at the decision that changed everything.
Preamble
For more than half a century, New York has waited for this. Through blackouts and bankruptcies, dynasties and rebuilds, celebrities courtside and coaches on the hot seat, the Knicks have spent 53 years searching for a championship. Tonight, they are one victory from ending the wait.
Standing in their path is a San Antonio Spurs team still trying to process what happened 72 hours ago.
Game 4 looked over long before it was finished. The Spurs led by 29 points midway through the third quarter and appeared to have wrestled control of the NBA finals back from New York. Then everything unraveled. The Knicks stormed back with the largest comeback in finals history, erasing the deficit before OG Anunoby’s putback with 1.2 seconds remaining delivered a stunning 107-106 victory and a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The result left the basketball world asking two questions. How did San Antonio let it happen? And can the Spurs possibly recover?
History is not on their side. Only one team has ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA finals series. Yet this matchup has been far closer than the standings suggest. Through four games, the Knicks have outscored San Antonio by only eight points. Three contests have been decided in the final seconds. The margins separating triumph and disaster have been razor thin.
That is only part of what makes tonight’s potential closeout game so compelling.
The Knicks have arrived in Texas with a chance to end one of the longest championship droughts in American professional sports and begin preparations for a parade through Manhattan. The Spurs return home convinced they have been good enough to win every game in this series and determined to force a trip back to New York.
One side is chasing history. The other is trying to prevent becoming a footnote in it. Game 5 tips off at 7.30pm local time or 8.30 in New York, roughly an hour from now.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s what Victor Wembanyama had to say about Wednesday’s historic collapse by San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama says the San Antonio Spurs have shaken off the biggest single-game collapse in NBA finals history and are ready to face the New York Knicks on Saturday.
The Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to hand the Spurs a crushing 107-106 victory in Game 4 of the series and can win their first title since 1973 with victory in San Antonio.
“There were a thousand ways we could have not lost that game,” Wembanyama told reporters at practice on Friday. “It felt like there was a time to process this, to really dwell on it, but not any more. We’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”
That, he added, also goes for having had eggs thrown at him and a water bottle tossed at the team bus in New York.
“I didn’t really think much of it,” he said. “Obviously it’s not good at all. But it doesn’t bother me.”
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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