Before diving into the numbers, we establish a baseline: season‑long offensive efficiency, defensive rating, and pace for both teams. The Knicks entered the series with a 112.3 points per 100 possessions average, while the Spurs hovered around 108.7. These figures frame the raw output we see in Game 3, letting us separate a genuine shift from routine variance.

Next, we map the movement of key metrics across the first two games—rebounds, turnover differentials, and three‑point share. Noticing that the Knicks improved their rebound margin by 2.1 per game while the Spurs trimmed their turnover rate by 1.4 gives us early signals of where each side might be adjusting.