Troubling stat could spell disaster for Spurs’ comeback vs. Knicks

Going into Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs know that protecting homecourt was of paramount importance. And to start off the game, they went out and built a double-digit lead. Alas, the Knicks punched back, took control for most of the game, requiring the Spurs to mount a huge comeback. They almost completed that comeback attempt, only to falter in the clutch as Victor Wembanyama’s turnover doomed them to a 105-104 defeat.

The Spurs are now down 2-0 in the NBA Finals, and losing both games at home has to be gut-wrenching for a young team. And the precedent in the NBA Finals isn’t very promising as far as San Antonio’s hopes of turning the series around on the road are concerned.

Prior to this year, only two other teams with homecourt advantage in the NBA Finals went down 2-0. Both of them ended up losing the series. The 1993 Phoenix Suns and 1995 Orlando Magic could not protect homecourt and they paid the price dearly.

The Suns were an excellent team that won 62 games in the regular season, but they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. Going down 2-0 heading to the road put them in such a difficult spot, and they ended up losing the NBA Finals on the road in Game 6 courtesy of a John Paxson dagger.

Meanwhile, the Magic lost steam after dispiritingly losing both home games to the Houston Rockets in the 1995 NBA Finals. The Rockets woke up in the playoffs, going all the way despite being a sixth-seeded team.

The 2026 NBA Finals is far from over, but suffice to say, things are not looking good for the Spurs. The Knicks’ home crowd is no joke, as the Madison Square Garden faithful will be very loud and vicious towards the Spurs upon witnessing the team’s first NBA Finals game in this arena since 1999.

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