Spurs know they have to be better in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, and Knicks feel the same way

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The road to the NBA Finals was not exactly smooth for the San Antonio Spurs.

They had — and lost — home-court advantage in Round 1 against Portland, before recovering to win the series. In Round 2 against Minnesota, the same thing happened. In the Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City, they trailed 2-1 before finding a way to oust the defending champion Thunder in seven games.

And now, the finals. They had home-court advantage and lost it in Game 1 against the New York Knicks. Adversity, hello again.

“We’ve been consistent in that regard,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Thursday as his team prepares for Game 2 on Friday night. “I think one thing we have learned in our three series is that series are long. Games are long. Things shift quickly, whether that’s health, who’s playing well or hot, quote-unquote, at the time. Teams at this stage typically have shown the ability to evolve on the fly and improve within a series.”

That's what will be required if the Spurs are going to head to New York with this series knotted at a game apiece.

They shot poorly in Game 1 (36%), extremely poorly from 3-point range (26%, missing 32 of 43 tries), had 16 assists (nowhere near enough), got outscored in the paint 50-42 and couldn't hold a 14-point third-quarter lead. The Knicks deserve credit for creating a whole lot of those issues, but the Spurs know they're capable of much better play.

“I think the reason we lost that game isn’t even technical (or) tactical,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said. “We need to approach the game with a better mental state. We just need to play our game. We just need to be normal.”

Normal?

“‘Normal’ means trusting each other, trusting the basketball gods, trusting the game plan, executing, and not relying on talent so much to make shots or to save the day,” Wembanyama said. “We’ve been playing a certain way all season. We’ve been successful this way. There’s no reason to change the day the finals start.”

It was easy for the Spurs to find areas to clean up.

For the Knicks these days, that's considerably tougher.

They're 12-0 in their last 12 games, the third team to do that in a single postseason. The other two — San Antonio in 1999 and Golden State in 2017 — were NBA champions. The Knicks are certainly playing like a championship-capable team, but star guard Jalen Brunson insists that New York can't subscribe to any sort of thinking that suggests the job is done and a parade is inevitable.

“It’s all about just getting better every single day, keep chipping away, keep chipping away, being 1% better,” said Brunson, who led all scorers with 30 points in his finals debut Wednesday. “When you take steps back, how can you improve? ... Having that mentality and focus and approach I think allows us to still be students of the game and still find ways to learn, even through wins, and I think we need to continue to do that.”

The Knicks were coming off their second nine-day break between series — an unintended consequence of sweeping Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals and Cleveland in the East finals — and handled it just fine.

But New York's Mikal Bridges knows Game 2 will be better.

“I don’t think our Game 1s, even though we won, have been great at all,” Bridges said. “It’s tough to assimilate the emotional aspect, how physical it’s going to be when you’re in practice every day, besides being in those games. It’s tough. ... Now, we kind of got a rhythm. We've got to be better and I know we will be Game 2.”

The Spurs hope they will as well.

It's not must-win time for San Antonio, but going to New York in a 2-0 hole would make the challenge of winning the finals considerably more daunting. The Spurs have handled all the adversity that has come their way so far in the playoffs, and now have to answer that bell again.

“It’s very reassuring,” Wembanyama said. “We know we’re not here by chance. We’ve been through some weird — what do you call it? — weird situations, whatever. Yes, it’s reassuring to know that these guys, the 18 guys we got, are built this way. They are resilient.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The San Antonio Spurs leave the court after Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) yells towards his bench during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) steals the ball from San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The New York Knicks celebrate after Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

ATLANTA (AP) — Chad Dallas was told on Tuesday he would be promoted for his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The call came on Lou Gehrig Day, and it happened to be about a year since Dallas's father, Tony, died from ALS, the neurodegenerative disease now commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease in honor of the New York Yankees Hall of Famer.

“It was extremely special, like a little God wink,” Dallas said after allowing only two hits and one run in 3 2/3 innings to earn the win in the Blue Jays' 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.

Dallas was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to serve as the Blue Jays' bulk reliever behind opener Mason Fluharty.

Dallas immediately was given the opportunity to prove he could thrive in a stressful situation. The Braves had a runner on third base after Michael Harris II doubled and advanced to third before Toronto manager John Schneider pulled Fluharty and summoned Dallas, a right-hander.

Dallas entered the game with one out in the second and stranded Harris on third base. He ended the inning by striking out Sandy León.

“It was cool, though,” Dallas said of inheriting the runner on third when he is more accustomed to starting games. “It was something kind of new. And all you can do is go out there and just give them your best stuff. And you know tonight, I felt like I did that a good bit.”

Schneider said pitching out of the jam helped to ease the rookie's nerves.

“I think getting out of that inning there kind of set him up to settle down a little bit,” said Schneider of Dallas. “And he was great, man. You know, gets his first win in his debut. So pretty cool. Breaking stuff was really, really good and did his part tonight.”

Dallas said he had “tons of emotions” as the anticipation grew for his major league debut. He had friends and family travel from Orange, Texas, and Knoxville, Tennessee, where he pitched in college for Tennessee.

“Dreamed of this day since I was 3 or 4, once I started realizing what professional baseball was,” Dallas said. “And tons of emotions ... tons of happy, super excited. But overall, it was an amazing experience.”

Dallas was only 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA at Buffalo in his comeback after missing the 2025 season following Tommy John surgery. But the right-hander made an impression on Schneider while perhaps proving he could help the Blue Jays as a reliever when there is no longer a need for another starter.

When asked what is next for Dallas, Schneider said “Beer shower and a good flight to Toronto.”

Added Schneider “But really impressed with the job that he did tonight. ... The overall message is just go out, compete, trust your stuff and you know, get ready for whatever’s next.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker, center, speaks with pitcher Chad Dallas (37) and catcher Tyler Heineman (55) during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker, center, speaks with pitcher Chad Dallas (37) and catcher Tyler Heineman (55) during the third inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mason Fluharty delivers to an Atlanta Braves batter during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

A group of 'tarps off' shirtless male baseball fans cheer from the upper deck of Truist Park as the Atlanta Braves host the Toronto Blue Jays during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Toronto Blue Jays' Nathan Lukes, right, celebrates with first base coach Mark Budzinski (53) after hitting an RBI single against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., left, celebrates with Myles Straw, right, after the Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves in a baseball game, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., left, celebrates with Kazuma Okamoto, right, after the Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves in a baseball game, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)