2026 NBA Finals: Knicks Have Slowed Spurs in Transition to Earn Their 2-0 Finals Lead
The Knicks have taken a 2-0 edge in The Finals by limiting the Spurs' efficiency on the break & capitalizing on halfcourt offense.
John Schuhmann Archive
Updated on June 8, 2026 12:05 AM
The Spurs and Victor Wembanyama need to get out on the break and score more as the NBA Finals continues.
NEW YORK
â In a series where offense has been hard to come by, transition opportunities are gold, yielding layups and open 3-pointers before the defense is set. According to Synergy tracking, the Spurs have had 57 transition possessions over the first two games of the Finals. That (28.5 per game) is more than they averaged through the first three rounds (24.9) and a lot more than the Knicks have had in the series (39, 19.5 per game). Dylan Harper leads the entire postseason with 96 transition points, and the Spursâ five starters are all in the top eight (66 or more). Their last two (huge) buckets of Game 2 â layups from Harper and Victor Wembanyama â came in transition.But overall, the Spurs have not been able to capitalize on all those transition opportunities as much as they did against their Western Conference opponents. Theyâve scored just 0.84 points per possession in transition through the first two games of this series, down from 1.14 per possession through the first three rounds. That (0.84) would have been the worst mark in the regular season by a wide margin.
Spursâ transition points per possession
Season/round POSS/G PTS/G PPP Rank
Regular season 24.1 27.7 1.15 13
First 3 rounds 24.9 28.4 1.14 6
Finals 28.5 24.0 0.84 2
via Synergy tracking
Credit the Knicksâ defense. Theyâve made some fantastic defensive plays in transition in this series. Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart are all guys who can fly back on defense and use their length and athleticism to make those transition opportunities as difficult as possible for the Spurs:
âTheyâre a really good transition team,â Bridges said Sunday. âYou got to get back, show bodies.â
Of course, going along with the Knicksâ overall mentality, Bridges isnât satisfied with the stops theyâve gotten so far.
âI still think we got to do a way better job ⌠I donât think we are up to what weâre supposed to be doing as a team defensively in transition.â
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said Sunday that thereâs no clear diagnosis for his teamâs lack of efficiency in transition thus far.
âWeâve had a few turnovers in transition that are not as common throughout the season,â he said. âIt really hasnât been a real clear theme of why that is, other than not making the right play or not finishing those advantages out as we have throughout the season.â
Indeed, thereâs been some general sloppiness, including Wembanyamaâs game-deciding turnover in the closing seconds of Game 2. Thereâs been some settling for decent shots when better ones can be found later in the possession. And thereâs been some forcing things that just arenât there:
Toughest to swallow are the empty results that turn into transition opportunities on the other end of the floor.
âGoing from looking like weâre probably getting a bucket to giving up a bucket,â Johnson said. âThose are big swings in this game when you start talking about the margin of error at this level.â
The Knicks have been similarly inefficient in transition in this series, going from 1.32 points per transition possession (best in the playoffs) through the first three rounds to just 0.85 per possession in The Finals. But itâs not as big of an issue for them, because theyâve found more success in their halfcourt offense. While the Spurs have just seven field goals in the last seven seconds of the shot clock over the two games, the Knicks have 18.
Stephon Castle struggled in Game 2, when he scored just two points on his six transition possessions. He couldnât finish through Brunson, got stuffed by Hart, turned the ball over, and missed a pair of free throws after a transition foul.
Harper, meanwhile, continues to be the Spursâ best weapon in transition, totaling 13 points on nine transition possessions in the series. He turned on the jets to drive through four Knicks for a transition layup early in the fourth quarter on Friday:
And he got the Spursâ 14-0, fourth-quarter run started by taking a lead pass from DeâAaron Fox after a Knicks bucket and drawing a foul.
But the Spurs will need more from everybody else if theyâre going to win Game 3 on Monday (8:30 ET, ABC/ESPN), end the Knicksâ 13-game winning streak, and give themselves a real chance in this series. Every possession, transition or otherwise, is critical.
â[Transition] is a huge part of the game for us,â Johnson said, âwhen we are at our best.â
Weâve yet to see the Spurs at their best, but another opportunity awaits.
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