Best of The Herd

We’re off and running with a real Finals, and that game was a ride; spare me the ref meltdown—Victor Wembanyama owned the floor, Karl-Anthony Towns vanished late, and New York’s giveaways turned into San Antonio points as the team that protects the ball keeps winning. Brunson’s workload is sky‑high and he’s fading, the Knicks settled for jumpers while the Spurs attacked the paint and earned trips to the line, and in a physical Finals you’ll miss a call or two when officials are watching a wrestling match in the post, not a guard three steps away.

We didn’t play our best, but watching them shoot a pile of free throws after halftime against a great team is a mountain to climb.

Turnovers gifting 21 points are the story, not one missed whistle while two bigs were scrapping; different topic, the college QB who bet on games made a dumb choice, but it broke an NCAA rule, not a law, and the outrage from schools cashing gambling checks is rich—expect a legal reversal and let’s stop catastrophizing like we did with Pete Rose and a hundred other moral panics.

Why dangle phone‑easy gambling in front of 19‑year‑olds and then say don’t touch it? He’s responsible and he’ll pay, but so will his coach, team, and fans.

Legal sports betting was always coming, so incidents like this were inevitable; punish him, sure, but don’t torch the sport while universities take the money and act shocked when a kid crosses a line—deep breath, then back to hoops.

Wemby didn’t just block shots, he erased ideas; New York shoots about 39 percent with him out there and jumps near 58 percent when he sits, and his sprints to the corner to alter threes are something I’ve never seen. San Antonio looked composed and forceful, New York is too Brunson‑centric, Towns needs to create and score late, and so far the side that’s cleaner with the ball takes the night.

Nick Wright joins—if fans want excuses, what actually decided it, and was that Wemby’s first full‑throttle Finals game?

I even tried to bet enough on the Knicks to buy a Game Four ticket—great plan at halftime, less so later—and the refs weren’t the reason; New York fouled, and for the first time Wemby was the best player end to end while the Knicks still had a late puncher’s chance. I think New York evens its legs and takes Game Four, but my bankroll won’t be in the building.

Brunson’s usage is through the roof, and guards with that burden fade over a series—are the Knicks sliding back into old habits?

Stephon Castle has given Brunson real problems, but the extra rest in this schedule eases the wear‑down fear; chalk last night up as their clunker. Towns has to matter late, and once New York gets one complete Brunson game, I expect them up three to one.

Wemby’s presence is making Knicks guards pull U‑turns at the rim—are they getting too timid because he’s in their heads?

He’s a singular defender with a growing edge, and while he can get beat on the perimeter, he was a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. Opponents get a jolt when he rests, and he’s not jumping to mid‑40s minutes, so New York has to feast in those windows.

There’s a new narrative that Brunson’s under‑appreciated; he’s not the prototype, but is he firmly top‑20 and getting his due?

If you don’t have him top‑20, that’s disrespect; he’s mounting a case as the best American right now, and I’ll eat it for calling his deal an overpay. His postseason numbers mirror Shai’s, he’s cold‑blooded late, and if the Knicks finish this run he’s your Finals MVP and the measurables talk fades fast.

I still lean Ant first among Americans, I’m higher on Cade than you, and I love OG’s two‑way game; and for Knicks fans, yes, the TV was basically brand‑new the last time you hung a banner. Good seeing you, buddy.