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History not on San Antonio Spurs' side after rough start to NBA Finals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
History isn't on the side of the San Antonio Spurs' following their 105-104 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
It was San Antonio's second consecutive loss at home to start the Finals, which puts them in a difficult 0-2 hole as the series shifts to New York for Games 3 and 4.
No team has ever won NBA Finals after losing first two games at home
The Spurs became just the third team in NBA history to lose both of the first two games of the Finals at home. The other two teams to do so were the Phoenix Suns in 1993 and the Orlando Magic in 1995.
Neither of those teams went on to win the series. The Magic were swept by the Houston Rockets in four games and the Suns were bested by the Chicago Bulls in six.
There's always a first for everything, as the saying goes, so perhaps the Spurs can be the first team in league history to drop the first two games of the Finals at home and still come back to win the series. But, that's a tall task for any team, especially for a young team that has appeared rattled by the bright lights of the league's biggest stage.
If the Spurs are going to climb back into the series, they're simply going to need star center Victor Wembanyama to be better. Wembanyama had an underwhelming performance in Game 1, and though he was very solid in the second half of Game 2, his costly string of errors in the closing minute of the game may have cost the Spurs an opportunity to win.
Wembanyama is just 22 years old and this is his first playoff run, so growing pains should be expected. Plus, the Spurs wouldn't even be in the Finals if it weren't for his stellar play throughout the regular season and playoffs. But, he simply has to be better moving forward if the Spurs are going to have a chance.
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