Spurs Guard Stephon Castle Calls Knicks' Garden Crowd Overrated

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle says Madison Square Garden did not live up to its reputation during the NBA Finals, a series the Knicks won in five games over the Spurs, according to comments Castle gave and reported by the New York Post on Sept. 29.

What did Castle say about the Knicks crowd?

"It was underwhelming in that first game," Castle told the Post, describing the Garden atmosphere. "They made it seem like it was going to be way crazier in there." Castle, a 37.7 percent shooter from the field across the Finals, said he felt unfazed by the building during Games 3 and 4 in New York. He compared the Garden unfavorably to the road environment the Spurs faced earlier in the postseason. "OKC was way louder than MSG," Castle said, referring to San Antonio's Western Conference Finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

How did the Finals actually end?

The Knicks closed out the series in five games, according to the Post's report. Castle's comments came despite a Game 4 sequence at the Garden in which the Spurs built a wide lead before New York rallied. San Antonio led 81-52 with 9:40 left in the third quarter, the Post reported, before the margin collapsed. OG Anunoby scored the deciding basket on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining, sealing the Knicks' win in front of a courtside crowd that included Jerry Seinfeld, Taylor Swift and Larry David, per the Post.

What did Castle do in Game 3?

Castle's strongest individual performance of the series came in Game 3, a 115-111 Spurs victory. He shot 8-for-14 from the field — 57.1 percent — and finished with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists, according to the Post. That game marked San Antonio's high point in the series before New York took control in Games 4 and 5.

What did Wembanyama say after the Game 4 collapse?

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama addressed the loss afterward, telling reporters the team's execution broke down late. "It was painful, of course. It feels like we worked too hard and give up our leads. It's as simple as that. It just hurts," Wembanyama said, per the Post. "We clearly weren't the most hungry in the second half. … I can't really explain it right now. I don't know. I think it's just execution, greediness of some sort. Stopped moving the ball. Stopped executing."

By the numbers

• 37.7% — Castle's field-goal percentage across the NBA Finals, per the Post.
• 23 points, 8-for-14 (57.1%), 5 rebounds, 5 assists — Castle's line in the Spurs' 115-111 Game 3 win.
• 81-52 — San Antonio's lead with 9:40 left in the third quarter of Game 4 before New York erased it.
• 1.2 seconds — Time left on the clock when Anunoby's tip-in won Game 4 for the Knicks.

Finals timeline

• Game 1: Castle called the Garden atmosphere "underwhelming" as the series opened in New York.
• Game 3: Castle posts a 23-point, 8-for-14 shooting night in a 115-111 Spurs win, evening the series.
• Game 4: San Antonio builds an 81-52 third-quarter lead at the Garden, then loses it. Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds left gives the Knicks the win.
• Game 5: The Knicks close out the series, finishing 4-1 over San Antonio, per the Post's account.

Before the Finals, San Antonio dispatched Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder's only win of that series came at home, and Oklahoma City fell behind 0-2 before Game 3, according to the Post.

What happens next for both teams?

The Spurs, among the league's youngest rosters last season, head into the new season looking to build on Wembanyama's postseason run and Castle's late-series scoring surge, per the Post. In New York, the champion Knicks have already opened single-game ticket sales for the coming season as the team looks to defend its title — details on the release are available through HTT News. Neither team has announced further roster moves tied directly to Castle's comments.

For the full account of Castle's remarks and additional context from Post reporting, see the original New York Post story.

Quotags is A quote-card app first shipped in 2013. Version 2.0 is returning soon — do not install an old binary.