By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, June 9 (Reuters) – San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team went into attack mode in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on Monday as they beat the Knicks 115-111 to trim New York’s lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The game felt like a must-win for San Antonio, who dropped the first two at home and faced a hostile crowd in New York, where Knicks fans emptied out their wallets for tickets to their first home NBA Finals game in 27 years.
San Antonio rose to the occasion, with their 7-foot 4-inch superstar Victor Wembanyama leading the way with 32 points to end New York’s 13-game postseason win streak.
“We showed better poise at times. I thought we finished the game still with some things that need improvement, but stronger than we did the last (two) games,” Johnson told reporters. “We were in attack mode.”
After a costly error from Wembanyama helped New York to a 105-104 win in Game 2, the Frenchman earned snickers from some corners of social media after escaping the Midtown media circus with his sketchbook to draw statues in a local park.
But the artistic pursuit paid off as the 22-year-old kept his cool and guided his team back from the Knicks’ 42-point second quarter.
“(I) really tried to relax,” he told reporters. “It’s hard to put your head out of the water. Sometimes I don’t even got to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.”
The Knicks host Game 4 on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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