The Garden was supposed to be a fortress tonight. Instead, Karl-Anthony Towns walked into 2 fouls inside the first minute, Victor Wembanyama started tapping his temple, and the Spurs jumped on the Knicks so fast that the Barstool watch-along nearly tipped its recliners. Whatever this was, it wasn't the Game 4 anybody on the East Coast had drawn up.
KAT's second whistle in 60 seconds — eventually overturned to an offensive foul on him.
That sequence set the entire tone. KAT couldn't breathe without a whistle, and the second call getting flipped to an offensive foul somehow made it worse — same result, different paperwork. Eric Hubbs called it the worst-officiated quarter of basketball he'd ever seen and compared the vibe to Lakers-Kings, which around here is the universal shorthand for 'the fix is in.' KFC, never one to bury the lede, went ahead and declared himself the old white man who stopped watching the NBA because it's rigged. Final form achieved.
Frank Fleming melting down in real time over KAT's quick foul trouble.
Meanwhile Wemby was doing Wemby things — and being a pest about it. Mitchell Robinson caught him with an elbow on a switch, and instead of backing down, the 7-footer pointed straight at his temple like he was living rent-free in Robinson's head. Then Jose Alvarado, the league's premier 6-foot agitator, decided he'd had enough of the French alien and started tangling with him on the perimeter.
Alvarado getting chippy with Wembanyama as the Spurs pulled away in the 2nd quarter.
Pardon My Take called the resulting play a 'single leg takedown in an NBA Finals,' and honestly, the description tracked. Dave Portnoy couldn't believe a tackle didn't get flagrant'd. The Cave, in turn, looked like a wake — 4 grown men slumped in their recliners with the DraftKings overlay showing San Antonio up 37-20 and the spread already past a touchdown.
The Cave crew silently dying as the Spurs ran out to a 17-point 1st-quarter lead.
There were silver linings if you squinted. Jordyn Woods showed up with the orange 'lucky bag' that has become its own piece of Knicks-courtside folklore as KAT's partner. Portnoy reminded everyone the Spurs have blown leads all series and that San Antonio can't shoot like this forever. Pat from Barstool laid down the actual stakes: come back from this and the Knicks win in 5, lose it and they probably lose the series. The Garden has 3 more quarters to decide which version of this team it wants to be.