Along with much of New York and San Antonio, a large portion of the U.S. Men’s National Team watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs with bated breath from their FIFA World Cup base in California.
Advertisement
After the Spurs had soared to a 29-point lead in the third, setting Victor Wembanyama and Co. potentially en route to tie the series at 2-2, Jalen Brunson’s Knicks fought back, making history in the process.
Their 107-106 comeback win marked the largest in NBA Finals history, with OG Anunoby tipping it in off a rebounded Jalen Brunson three-point attempt with a mere 1.2 seconds left to go, prompting a manic response from the crowd inside Madison Square Garden, and far beyond.
Over in California, and with just hours to go until their World Cup campaign kicks off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, USMNT stars including Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, and Matt Turner all watched on from their hotel.
Advertisement
After Anunoby gave the Knicks a shock last-gasp lead, the USMNT stars went wild, with Adams jumping back and forth over the couches as a pile of players stacked on top of one another, all while team captain Ream looked on largely motionless in stunned shock.
The footage was shared by U.S. Soccer, along with the caption, “SOMEONE CHECK ON KNICKS FAN TYLER ADAMS.”
Adams also shared another angle of the celebration on his Instagram Story, along with “KNICKSSSSSS!!!!”
Looking ahead, Adams and his fellow Knicks fans within the squad will have to wait until Saturday to see if their beloved side’s 53-year wait for a third NBA title will finally come to an end, with Mike Brown’s team set to travel to Frost Bank Center in Texas for a potentially decisive Game 5.
Advertisement
To listen to the latest episode of ‘All Out Soccer’ – CLICK HERE
In the meantime, the USMNT will need to turn their focus away from the NBA Finals and onto their Group D opener against Paraguay.
The two sides met not long ago back in November, with Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT coming out on top 2-1 in what proved to be a chippy affair. Previewing the game, both Gio Reyna and Tim Weah noted this week that they expect nothing less this time around from the South American nation, with the latter noting that Pochettino has added a similar “South American spirit” to the USMNT throughout his tenure.
“I think he brings that South American spirit that we’ve been missing,” Weah told reporters. “We’ve always been the good guys, so now it’s kind of nice being on the other end and being the aggressor a bit. It’s fun. Coach Poch is an amazing coach, and I can’t wait to see what we do under him.”
Advertisement
The Olympique Marseille star added, “We know that Paraguay is an aggressive team. A team with a lot of quality. It was the team I got my first cap against, so it’ll be wonderful to face them again in such a prestigious tournament. I think we’re going to the game with a lot of respect for Paraguay.
“We know that they’re going to be super, super aggressive, so we’re going to have to match that. We saw that the last time we played them. We’re just going to have to stay focused for the whole game.”
