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For years, Karl-Anthony Towns faced criticism from all sides of the basketball world.
He was a superstar in talent, but he was chastised for being a 7-footer who played “weak” on the court.
Towns wasn’t physical enough. He wasn’t competitive enough. When the game was on the line, he was the theoretical player you’d want on the floor, but he didn’t have the determination when the stakes were high.
During the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Towns has silenced his critics, as he’s been the arguable MVP of the New York Knicks‘ run to the Finals for the first time in 27 years.
More news: Timothée Chalamet and Every Celebrity Spotted at Game 1 of the NBA Finals
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks acknowledges fans in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on December 23, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Knicks 115-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
More news: This Is What Victor Wembanyama Did Immediately After Eliminating OKC
On Wednesday, Towns showed the world what kind of determination he had in the biggest game of his life, putting up 17 points and 12 rebounds in a Game 1 win for the Knicks on the road against the San Antonio Spurs.
And even greater than what he delivered on the stat sheet was the job he did on Victor Wembanyama, who ripped through the likes of Rudy Gobert and Chet Holmgren in the past two rounds.
Towns, who can shoot from long range and force Wembanyama outside of his sweet spot around the rim, gave the Spurs an entirely different look than they had seen all playoffs.
What was seen prior as a weakness of Towns might be the reason New York can win it all against the 7-foot-4 generational talent.
And, following the victory, explaining how he was able to play so composed and well in the grandest moment of his life, he gave credit to his mother, who passed away six years ago due to COVID complications during the pandemic.
“I don’t know, I just felt a calm and a peace that had to come from the woman above,” he told the post-game crew on “Inside the NBA” after the Game 1 win. “I felt really confident about today. I felt good. 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.”
Towns and the Knicks will look to go up 2-0 in the series on Friday before bringing the next leg of the spectacle to Madison Square Garden at the beginning of next week.
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He was a superstar in talent, but he was chastised for being a 7-footer who played “weak” on the court.
Towns wasn’t physical enough. He wasn’t competitive enough. When the game was on the line, he was the theoretical player you’d want on the floor, but he didn’t have the determination when the stakes were high.
During the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Towns has silenced his critics, as he’s been the arguable MVP of the New York Knicks‘ run to the Finals for the first time in 27 years.
More news: Timothée Chalamet and Every Celebrity Spotted at Game 1 of the NBA Finals
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Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks acknowledges fans in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on December 23, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Knicks 115-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
More news: This Is What Victor Wembanyama Did Immediately After Eliminating OKC
On Wednesday, Towns showed the world what kind of determination he had in the biggest game of his life, putting up 17 points and 12 rebounds in a Game 1 win for the Knicks on the road against the San Antonio Spurs.
And even greater than what he delivered on the stat sheet was the job he did on Victor Wembanyama, who ripped through the likes of Rudy Gobert and Chet Holmgren in the past two rounds.
Towns, who can shoot from long range and force Wembanyama outside of his sweet spot around the rim, gave the Spurs an entirely different look than they had seen all playoffs.
What was seen prior as a weakness of Towns might be the reason New York can win it all against the 7-foot-4 generational talent.
And, following the victory, explaining how he was able to play so composed and well in the grandest moment of his life, he gave credit to his mother, who passed away six years ago due to COVID complications during the pandemic.
“I don’t know, I just felt a calm and a peace that had to come from the woman above,” he told the post-game crew on “Inside the NBA” after the Game 1 win. “I felt really confident about today. I felt good. 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.”
Towns and the Knicks will look to go up 2-0 in the series on Friday before bringing the next leg of the spectacle to Madison Square Garden at the beginning of next week.
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