In 2004, the Detroit Pistons discovered something few teams ever managed against Kobe Bryant. The more the Lakers’ superstar tried to take over, the easier the offense became to defend. Bryant finished the NBA Finals averaging 22.6 points per game, but critics argued that Los Angeles had drifted away from the balance that made it dangerous in the first place.

More than two decades later, a similar question resurfaced on basketball’s biggest stage: when does a superstar’s effort to carry his team become the very thing holding it back? Despite Brunson’s 32-point night, Smith believed the Knicks star had become the focal point of an offense that no longer resembled the balanced group that rattled off 13 straight playoff victories.

Sitting in the studio for Tuesday’s First Take, Stephen A. said, “I’m putting it on the Knicks. I do think there’s a lot about the New York Knicks that was out of character compared to what we had seen from them over the previous couple of months or so, especially en route to this 13-game winning streak. Jalen Brunson, I got to put this loss on him just as much as anybody.”

Although Smith does blame coach Mike Brown a little bit for the loss, for him, Brunson didn’t play up to his expectations. Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith saw a bigger issue beneath the numbers. According to him, New York strayed from the free-flowing style that powered its postseason charge and leaned far too heavily on one player.

The numbers offered some support for that argument. During their playoff run, the Knicks regularly used Karl-Anthony Towns as a high-post facilitator and secondary playmaker. In Game 3, however, Towns finished with just one assist and attempted only 10 shots despite San Antonio repeatedly using smaller defenders against him. Meanwhile, Brunson launched 25 field-goal attempts, more than Towns and Josh Hart combined.

Hart’s night highlighted the problem. He scored 13 points during New York’s explosive second quarter, helping the Knicks erase an early deficit and build a halftime lead. But after halftime, Hart went scoreless and missed all five of his shot attempts as the offense increasingly shifted toward Brunson-led isolation possessions. Towns faced a similar issue, finishing with just 10 shot attempts despite favorable matchups throughout the night.

Yet, SAS isn’t taking away from Brunson’s importance in this NBA Finals and on the Knicks team. “Brunson is a superstar in this game. He’s one of the clutch players; he’s Mr. Clutch. He’s a closer. We know how lucky we are to have him, how great he is. It’s just one game,” he added. But then, he also added that he felt that the 29-year-old was playing for personal accomplishments.

“I thought he was winning. I thought it looked, I don’t know; this; it looked like he was playing to win Finals MVP more than he was playing to win Game 3. That’s how it looked,” Smith said.

Smith’s argument wasn’t built solely on Brunson’s shot total. Several late-game possessions reflected the concern he was describing. With 4:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, Brunson held the ball deep into the shot clock before missing a contested step-back jumper while Towns had established position against a smaller defender. Less than three minutes later, Brunson drove into traffic and turned the ball over instead of kicking the ball out to open shooters on the perimeter. Those moments became examples of the stagnant offense that frustrated both Smith and head coach Mike Brown.

Brown echoed that frustration after the game. “We were about as stagnant as I’ve seen us all year,” the Knicks coach said. “We just wanted to stand and watch one guy dribble a ton.” The criticism aligned closely with Smith’s argument that New York abandoned the movement and balance that fueled its playoff run.

Still, the loss cannot be pinned entirely on Brunson. The Knicks committed 13 turnovers as a team, surrendered 21 points off those mistakes, and watched San Antonio outscore them 35-27 in the third quarter. Brunson finished with 32 points and nearly dragged New York back into the game late, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter alone as the Knicks attempted a final comeback.

San Antonio deserved enormous credit as well. Victor Wembanyama finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Stephon Castle added 23 points. More importantly, the Spurs turned New York’s 13 turnovers into 21 points and repeatedly punished the stagnant possessions that began creeping into the Knicks’ offense.

Brunson and Towns acknowledge Knicks strayed from winning formula

Brunson said, “The most important thing is that we were going to learn regardless, because we knew there were things that we were going to have to improve on going into the next game.” The Knicks had a weak game on Monday. According to Stephen A. Smith, they looked nervous in their home arena. With more than 20,000 people watching them, the Knicks got overwhelmed by the visiting team.

Brunson also pointed directly to the issues that haunted New York throughout the night. “I think we turned the ball over a lot, first and foremost,” he said. “With our live-ball turnovers, they got out in transition and capitalized off those.”

At the same time, Karl-Anthony Towns addressed the loss and talked about the fans’ energy. “Of course, our fans brought it. They always do,” he said. “Of course, they lived up to the expectations and exceeded them. We didn’t do our job to give them something to cheer for after the game.”

Now, despite the lessons that Jalen Brunson & Co. learned on Monday, Stephen A. Smith is worried that the game reflected a picture of the team that played before the 13-game winning streak. For him, the team that played Game 3 won’t win the championship. “I know what I saw, and it wasn’t impressive. And that New York Knicks team ain’t winning the championship,” he said. “The ones that showed up last night looked nothing like the team that had gone on that 13-game playoff-winning streak.”

Whether Smith’s Finals MVP criticism was fair remains open for debate, Brunson was still the Knicks’ leading scorer and nearly rescued them in the closing minutes. But the underlying concerns he highlighted are harder to dismiss. New York’s offense became stagnant, Towns was largely removed from the action, and the ball movement that defined the Knicks’ playoff run disappeared for long stretches. If those trends continue in Game 4, Smith’s comments may end up looking less like a television hot take and more like an early warning sign.