The San Antonio Spurs have done some amazing things this spring. Knocking off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals is one example. Becoming the youngest NBA Finals team in 50 years is another. 

But they’re going to have to do something even more amazing – borderline impossible, seemingly – to win the NBA Finals: come back from down 0-2 having lost their first two games at home. All they have to do now is win at least one of the next two games at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. 

Only five teams have ever come back from 0-2 in the Finals, the most recent being the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. 

But none have done what the Spurs are going to have to do: come back after having lost the first two games of a series at home. 

The Spurs will head into Game 3 in New York on Monday at least being buoyed by the knowledge that they could just as easily be the team leading 2-0. Remember, they were up by one with less than two minutes left in Game 1 before the Knicks reeled off an 11-0 closing run. 

But letting Game 2 slip away might have been even more painful. In a wild, up-and-down game with big plays and swings on Friday, it appeared the Spurs were in good shape having come back from down 14 with 6:04 to play take the lead on a three-point play by Victor Wembanyama with 57 seconds left. 

And even after Jalen Brunson shook off a 6-of-23 shooting night to hit a spinning fadeaway jumper to tie the game, they seemed to be in good shape. They were able to coax one more miss from Brunson with Wembanyama snaring the rebound. But things changed in an instant. 

A poor outlet pass by the Spurs star went off teammate Stephon Castle's back with Wembanyama compounding his mistake by fouling Brunson, who had recovered the ball. And after Brunson made one free throw to give the Knicks a 105-104 lead with 9.5 seconds left, the Spurs fumbled their last chance with Wembanyama missing a 17-footer just before the horn. 

It was a shocking end to a game that had featured the Spurs building a 12-point lead in the first half, only to have the Knicks come back. Then the Spurs rallied from down 14 in the final minutes, only to not........

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