Minnesota Timberwolves fans aren’t expecting a long-awaited run to the NBA Finals, but they are living vicariously through Karl-Anthony Towns. The former Wolves big man was a key reason why the New York Knicks took a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, but quickly became a scapegoat after a 115-11 loss in Game 3 on Monday night.
Towns did not have a great game, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds on 4-for-10 shooting and 0-for-2 on 3-pointers. But the flashbacks to his past led some to criticize Towns for a game that many felt wasn’t his fault.
“Suddenly, he’s not nearly as involved in the offense,” Zach Braziller of the New York Post wrote. “In his last five quarters, Towns has attempted 11 field goal attempts and tallied two assists, and all of a sudden the Knicks’ path to their first championship in 53 years isn’t quite as clear. Towns was mostly a non-factor on Monday night as the Knicks’ franchise-record 13-game playoff win streak came to a close in a setback to the Spurs at the Garden.”
Towns’ Game 3 performance draws Timberwolves flashbacks
The narrative being spun coming out of Game 3 is similar to the one Towns faced during his time in Minnesota. While he was a franchise pillar, there were times when he became a detriment to his team, including the Timberwolves’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2024 Western Conference Finals.
Towns struggled mightily during that series, shooting 37.9 percent from the floor and 24.2 percent from 3-point range. While he still managed to average 19.6 points and 8.4 rebounds over the five-game series, he was one of the biggest scapegoats as to why the Wolves lost as heavy favorites, setting the stage for his September 2024 trade to the Knicks.
He didn't play well against Dallas, but people took this criticism a step too far.
With that lingering in the background, fans were quick to criticize Towns for his Game 3 performance. Even Knicks head coach Mike Brown noted that Towns could have done more offensively, but believed that it was a team issue.
“It was the way we played and the things that we were doing offensively,” Brown said. “We were just coming down and just basically playing ‘drag.’ We’d get the first screen, and then we just literally stood and watched. …There was no movement. Like sometimes KAT has to flash to the elbow. Sometimes he’s got to post up. …But sometimes you’re going to have to just move and cut and pass the ball quicker and drive the ball quicker, because it’s almost a zone that they are in to a certain degree and we didn’t do a good job of attacking it.”
In addition, Towns called out the Knicks’ 13 turnovers as a reason their offense wasn’t running on all cylinders as opposed to the officiating, which gave San Antonio a 32-22 advantage at the free throw line.
“That ain’t cost us the game. We turned the ball over,” Towns said regarding the officiating. “Didn’t execute, didn’t do what got us 13 straight wins in a row.”
With Timberwolves nemesis Victor Wembanyama scoring 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 2-of-4 from 3-point range, it’s understandable why the spotlight is shining on Towns. But it’s also notable that the Knicks are in this position because of Towns’ play in the first two games.
Towns was the star of Game 1 with 18 points and 12 rebounds while holding Wembanyama to 2-for-11 shooting as his primary defender. In Game 2, he was the catalyst of the Knicks' 105-104 win, notching 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Monday’s loss was deflating and Towns and the rest of the Knicks did not play their best game. But a big Game 4 could swing the narrative back into his favor and bring the former Wolves star one step closer to a ticker tape parade. Regardless, turning on KAT, who has been stellar throughout the playoffs, is silly.
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