What do the Knicks need to avoid a historic comeback by the Spurs?
The Knicks' defeat in the third game forces them to make decisions for upcoming matches.
New York Knicks continues to lead in the 2026 NBA Finals, but the 115-111 loss to San Antonio Spurs in the third game of the series has shifted part of the narrative. What seemed like a very favorable outcome for the New Yorkers after the initial 2-0 lead is now wide open again following the Texan team's response at Madison Square Garden.
The Spurs found multiple ways to punish the Knicks and demonstrated their ability to make adjustments on the fly. With the series still 2-1 in favor of New York, the fourth encounter could become one of the most crucial games of the entire season. Here are the five areas that Tom Thibodeau's team needs to improve on to prevent San Antonio from leveling the Finals.
These are the necessary changes for the Knicks against the Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals
1. Share the ball more and rely less on Brunson
Jalen Brunson remains the offensive engine for the Knicks and arguably the most decisive player in the series. However, Game 3 once again left a feeling that has surfaced several times during the playoffs: at certain moments, the New York offense relies too heavily on what their point guard can create.
San Antonio has started to find defensive answers to disrupt some of his favorite actions, and the Knicks need to diversify their offensive creation more.
When the ball moves quickly and players like Towns, Bridges, Hart, or McBride get involved, the team becomes much harder to defend. Conversely, when possessions end up revolving around Brunson isolations, the Spurs can concentrate a large part of their resources on a single threat.
New York's best offense has always been a collective one.
2. Stop San Antonio's transitions
There's a statistic that explains a good portion of the loss at Madison Square Garden.
The Spurs scored 21 points in transition. The Knicks, only 7.
This difference is significant for a game decided by just four points and reflects one of the major issues Thibodeau's team faced throughout the night.
San Antonio thrives when they can run in transition. Fox, Harper, and Wembanyama are much more dangerous when they find open spaces before the opponent's defense can organize.
The Knicks need to better select their shots, reduce errors, and get back more quickly in transition defense. Allowing the Spurs to play in the open court is an invitation for them to regain confidence in the series.
3. Bridges and McBride must play much bigger roles
One of the best things for New York throughout the season has been the depth of their perimeter rotation.
However, after the third game, it's clear that the Knicks need more offensive contributions from Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride.
Bridges has enough talent to take more shots, attack one-on-one situations, and exploit certain advantages that San Antonio's defense is giving. At various points in Game 3, he seemed to be disappearing from the offense for too long.
The same goes for McBride. His energy, scoring ability, and defensive aggressiveness can change the pace of a game in a matter of minutes.
If both raise their offensive level, the Spurs will have much more difficulty focusing all their attention on Brunson and Towns.
4. Mitchell Robinson can become a decisive factor
The Finals are often decided by details, and Mitchell Robinson has the tools to become one of them.
His defensive impact, shot-blocking ability, and activity on the offensive glass can be particularly valuable in a physical series like this one.
Moreover, Robinson offers a very different profile from Karl-Anthony Towns. His presence allows the Knicks to play with greater aggression near the basket and exploit certain alignments against San Antonio.
After what happened in the third game, it wouldn't be surprising to see Thibodeau slightly increase his minutes to try and change some dynamics of the series.
5. Generate more advantages for Towns and move Wembanyama out of the paint
This is likely the most crucial tactical adjustment of all.
Victor Wembanyama once again proved to be a huge defensive factor, and when he can establish himself near the basket, he completely transforms the opponent's offense. Every drive becomes more challenging, and every possession near the paint requires extra effort.
The Knicks need to find ways to keep him away from that comfort zone.
Karl-Anthony Towns is the ideal tool to achieve this. His outside threat forces opposing big men into uncomfortable decisions and can create openings for cuts to the basket from players like Hart, Bridges, or Brunson.
That's precisely why New York must generate more specific actions for Towns. The more the Dominican gets involved and the more Wembanyama is forced to defend away from the basket, the more comfortable the New York offense will be.
Additionally, the Knicks can greatly benefit from increasing off-ball cuts and movements to the basket. If they can capitalize on the spaces created by the attention on Brunson and Towns, San Antonio's defense will have a much harder time containing them.
Game 4 could define the Finals
The advantage still belongs to New York. The 2-1 score keeps the Knicks in a favorable position and allows them to approach the fourth game without extreme urgency.
However, Game 3 also made it clear that San Antonio has found solutions to several of the issues that plagued them during the first two encounters. The Spurs have regained confidence, made tactical adjustments, and now believe they can win these Finals.
That's why the next game could set the definitive course of the series. A victory for the Knicks would put them just one win away from the title. A loss, on the other hand, would shift all the pressure back to Thibodeau's team and turn the 2026 NBA Finals into a completely open battle.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Qué necesitan los Knicks para evitar una remontada histórica de los Spurs
