Towns’ evolution wins over Barkley: “He’s the Finals MVP”
Karl-Anthony Towns was the driving force behind the Knicks’ 13th straight playoff victory, and his performance in Game 2 of the NBA Finals has even won over Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal
The New York Knicks just keep rolling. With a hard-fought 105-104 victory at Frost Bank Center in Game 2, Jalen Brunson and company escaped San Antonio with a 2-0 lead in the series.
The standout star of this opening stretch of the NBA Finals has been a sensational Karl-Anthony Towns. Often criticized throughout his career, the Knicks big man is getting his redemption on basketball’s biggest stage, to the point that Charles Barkley crowned him live on Inside the NBA:
He was criticized in Minnesota, he was criticized in New York. But the Finals MVP is going to be Karl-Anthony Towns. He’s played two of the best games I’ve ever seen a big man play. He was tremendous in Game 1 and Game 2. This man has earned every single compliment
Charles Barkley
While Sir Charles’ praise regarding the all-time quality of those performances may sound a bit hyperbolic, Towns’ impact is undeniable. After posting 18 points, 12 rebounds, and doing an excellent defensive job limiting Victor Wembanyama in Game 1 – a mission he successfully repeated in Game 2 – the six-time All-Star delivered again in the second game of the series with 21 points on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting, along with 13 rebounds and 4 assists.
It was especially his 12-point burst in the second quarter that allowed New York to regain control of the game after falling behind by as many as 12 points. Towns’ transformation has even convinced Shaquille O’Neal, historically one of his harshest critics:
He’s playing with rhythm, playing smart, perfectly balancing his game inside and on the perimeter. At times, he’s even controlling the offense with his passing. He’s playing incredible basketball, and I agree: if the Finals ended today, he’d definitely be the MVP
Charles Barkley
At the beginning of the playoffs, O’Neal himself questioned New York’s chances because he didn’t know which version of Towns would show up: “the tiger or the kitten?”.
So far, the answer has clearly been the tiger, averaging 19.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in the Finals while shooting an impressive 55.6% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range.
It’s a breakout few could have predicted just months ago. During the regular season, Towns struggled to adapt to head coach Mike Brown’s new system and was even left out of closing lineups on multiple occasions, fueling doubts about his future in New York. The turning point came in the playoffs when Brown decided to make him the focal point of the offense.
With this win, the Knicks have now extended their playoff winning streak to 13 consecutive games, moving within two victories of the all-time record of 15 straight postseason wins set by the Golden State Warriors in 2017. Now the series shifts to New York, with the Knicks firmly in control. Game 3 is set for Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, a building that is already expected to be electric.