For the first time in franchise history, the New York Knicks hold a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
After defeating the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 in Game 2, the team is two wins away from securing its first championship since the Richard Nixon administration.
Jalen Brunson has been instrumental to the team’s historic playoff run, but Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes that a different Knicks superstar deserves Finals MVP.
“The MVP of the Finals is gonna be Karl-Anthony Towns,” Barkley said. “He has played two of the best games I’ve ever seen a big man play. He was great in Game 1, he was great in Game 2. That man earned his flowers.”
After putting up 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in Game 1, KAT continued to dominate and had 21 points, 13 boards, four assists, a steal and a block in Game 2.
He has also been a surprising defensive stopper for the 7-foot-4 superstar Victor Wembanyama. In Game 1, Wemby shot just 2-for-12 from the floor when Towns was the primary defender.
NBA analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have notoriously been hard to impress. With that said, both basketball legends heaped praise on Towns for rising to the occasion in the Finals.
“He’s playing with pace. He’s playing smart. [Towns is] playing inside and playing outside. He’s controlling the offense with his passing at times. Listen, he’s just playing unbelievable basketball right now,” Shaq said. “And I agree with you. At the end of the day, he would definitely be the Most Valuable Player.”
Karl-Anthony Towns is Fueling the Knicks
GettyKarl Anthony Towns has been a two-way star for the Knicks during the Finals
Through the first two games of the 2026 NBA Finals, Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game.
His biggest contribution that doesn’t show in the box score has been his ability to spread the Spurs defense out with his long-range shooting.
Unlike the previous series, when Wembanyama was able to roam around as a zone defender, the team has been forced to switch its scheme against the Knicks to little effect.
Following a narrow loss in Game 2, the Frenchman admitted that he has struggled against Towns.
“It’s very different from the previous series. It’s bringing us into difficult areas because they’re good players; he’s a good player. We need to figure it out.”
Not only has Wemby struggled to stop the six-time All-Star from picking them apart on offense, but he has also struggled to score against Towns.
Wembanyama finished Game 1 with 26 points on 6-of-21 shooting, including a 2-of-12 mark with Towns as the primary defender. He also committed four of his six turnovers when matched up with the Knicks center.
Towns said the plan of attack is simple: make Wemby earn every shot.
“Just try to make it difficult,” Towns said of defending Wembanyama. “He’s an amazing player. A one-of-a-kind player in this NBA that the league has ever seen. And you just try to make it as difficult as possible.”
Should Towns maintain his impressive pace so far this series, he has a good chance of making Barkley’s Finals MVP prediction a reality.
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