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NBA Fans Loved Karl-Anthony Towns's Kobe Bryant-Like Answer About Knicks' 2-0 Lead

Towns isn't jumping for joy about the Knicks' 2-0 series lead over the Celtics.

Tim Capurso

A 2-0 series lead doesn't mean much to Towns.
A 2-0 series lead doesn't mean much to Towns. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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For the second consecutive game, the New York Knicks erased a 20-point deficit with a thrilling fourth quarter comeback to stun the defending champion Boston Celtics. With Wednesday's 91-90 win, the Knicks now have a 2-0 lead as the conference semifinals series shifts to Madison Square Garden.

After the game, Knicks star center Karl-Anthony Towns was asked what it means to carry a 2-0 series lead back to the Garden. Hint, it doesn't mean much to Towns.

"It means we're up two-zip," Towns said matter-of-factly. "It doesn't really mean anything. If anything, it's taught me [the] experience from last year—we [the Minnesota Timberwolves] were up 2-0 the same way and both away games in Denver. We came home and we left our home games 2-2. So we can't take anything for granted."

"We gotta find ourselves executing at a higher level," Towns continued. "We can't keep doing these 20-point leads for Boston and hope to come back and win the game. We gotta play better. We gotta shoot better. We gotta execute better. We can't start having that kind of Knicks basketball being played down 20."

"We gotta start the game that way. And finish the game that way. Forty-eight minutes."

NBA fans were impressed by Towns's answer, which some likened to Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant's legendary response when asked if he was happy being up 2-0 in the 2009 NBA Finals.

Game 3 between the Knicks and Celtics tips off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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