Karl-Anthony Towns has silenced critics about his toughness during the 2026 NBA Playoffs, emerging as a key force behind the New York Knicks' first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years.
In Game 1 on Wednesday, Towns posted 17 points and 12 rebounds in a road win against the San Antonio Spurs.
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He also played strong defense on Victor Wembanyama, who had dominated earlier playoff matchups.
Towns used his three-point shooting to pull Wembanyama away from the rim, creating a new challenge for the Spurs.
After the game, Towns told “Inside the NBA” that he felt a sense of calm and credited his late mother, who passed away six years ago due to pandemic complications.
“I don’t know, I just felt a calm and a peace that had to come from the woman above,” Towns said.
“I felt really confident about today. I felt good.
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I felt like a kid; it was fun out here.
I felt like I was a kid getting ready to go play my Saturday AAU games and Sunday AAU games.
In a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands.”
“It felt like a certain presence was here, and it was really comforting and loving.
And I felt like I could have fun out here for Game 1 of the NBA Finals,” he added.
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The Knicks aim to take a 2-0 series lead on Friday before the Finals move to Madison Square Garden early next week.
