Steve Popper: Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns rewarded for expanding his game
It had been one of those nights for Karl-Anthony Towns, the nightmarish confluence of circumstances that had him forced to the sideline with 1:53 left in Game 5 as the Knicks scrambled for heroics to close out the game and the series in San Antonio.
He’d fouled out, ending a night that is not how you want to remember a clinching performance, having played just 23 minutes through the foul trouble all night and finishing with two points, the worst offensive performance in the 69 postseason games he’d been a part of. He’d connected on just 1 of 7 shots, not gotten to the free-throw line and now had to stand in front of the bench, watching.
You can imagine the players who have thrown a towel over their heads in similar circumstances, but Towns was on his feet as the Knicks made their final defensive stand and he looked like he believed he was on the floor, standing in front of the bench, arms raised above his head — either in his own defensive stance or coaching his teammates to do the same.
And when Victor Wembanyama’s shot misfired and OG Anunoby grabbed the rebound, flinging the ball into the air as time expired, Towns was freed, jumping onto the court and searching out teammates to hug.
Would he always have been so happy? Sure, the series ending and the championship celebration beginning would make anyone happy, and the champagne that followed would let you forget the offensive struggles.
But Towns arrived in New York before the 2024-25 season as arguably the best-shooting center in NBA history, a player who has multiple 60-point games on his resumé, still had games of at least 40 points in each of his two seasons with the Knicks, yet only totaled 65 points in five games in the NBA Finals. When capped with two points, no regrets?
“It speaks volumes about this team, how versatile and the depth of our team,” Towns said. “It’s crazy, for all of us, me personally, you would have thought for us winning, it would have to be my offense that goes to another level. But it was the defense that got it done in Game 5 for me. Something that’s always been talked about me and my defense, and I’m glad I got to show the world on the biggest stage that I could get it done. Against a great player, too. He’s going to be something special for a lot of years to come. Once-in-a-generation athlete.”
That Towns was able to make the changes in his game, to serve as an offensive hub at times, becoming a passer more than a scorer, to focus on rebounding or the yeoman task of defending Wembanyama speaks volumes for him, but also for Mike Brown in getting him to understand and accept what the team needed to get the job done.
It began in full at the only moment of tension for the Knicks in the postseason, trailing Atlanta two games to one in the opening round of the playoffs and facing the next game on the road and all of the pressure that was building around the team.
Brown and Towns talked out a strategy — one that would relieve some of the offensive load on Jalen Brunson. With Atlanta determined to make his life difficult, Towns wanted the ball in his hands — but not just to score. He wanted to orchestrate the offense, a plan that Brown had pushed for upon his arrival, but it was met with questions about role and numbers until desperation set in.
Towns posted two triple-doubles as the Knicks pummeled Atlanta in the next three games, setting off a run of 15 wins in their final 16 postseason games. And Towns, while his scoring was down, set an NBA record for the highest plus-minus in a postseason at +258.
“I think for me it’s imperative to make the defense have to shift and make them have to continuously think,” Towns said. “It’s not only, as you know, the game is already physically tiring, but if you add the mental component as well and have them thinking the whole game, it makes them even more tired and allows for more opportunities for us to get better looks . . .
“I think what you can do when you do move the ball and allow the IQ to flow and the ball to flow is you allow great shots to happen, especially when you’re touching the paint or having movement on the offense and allowing the defense to make a mistake, instead of us having to make a tough shot or a great shot. I’ve always loved passing, and it’s always one of my greatest joys is getting my teammates an assist and allowing them to see them succeed. It’s truly, for me, better than hitting a great shot, because when you make a shot, only one person is happy, but when you get an assist, two people are happy. I think that’s a recipe for success, when everyone is really feeling good about themselves.”
There was little doubt that Towns felt good about himself, about what he’d accomplished, about the questions he’d answered.
As he took the stage, the last player to speak Saturday night when the series was over, Brunson passed him, smacking him on the chest, acknowledging what he meant to the team. He spoke about Brunson, about his father, who was on the side of the room watching proudly, and of his mother, Jackie, who’d passed away before she could see him join the Knicks, the team she’d rooted for, and very little about himself.
“It’s amazing,” Towns said. “It’s truly a humbling feeling when you know you have walked the path. I stayed faithful. Every decision that I was supposed to make, I made the right one. Feels good to be in this moment.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
