Karl-Anthony Towns says he felt his mother's presence late in NBA Finals Game 1
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The pressure and anticipation of the NBA Finals is felt throughout basketball, whether the players want to say it or not.
However, New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns revealed that he “felt calm and peaceful” despite the threat of Game 1 on Wednesday night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio against the Spurs.
The reason for his calmness in this chaos? His mother.
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New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns screams during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Eric Gay/AP)
Towns' mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, died in April 2020 from complications from COVID-19. But while he wasn't in action for his son's first NBA Finals game, Towns said he felt like he was there all day.
“I don't know what it was, but I just felt a sense of peace and quiet, I don't know, that must have come from the woman upstairs,” City said on ESPN's “Inside The NBA” team after the Knicks' 105-95 victory over the Spurs to take Game 1 on the road. “So, I felt really confident today.
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“I felt like a kid. It was just fun here. This is something, as a kid, you always dream about. You always hope to be an NBA player, let alone be in the NBA Finals. The whole day, it was just a weird feeling. It felt like I was a kid getting ready to go play my Saturday AAU games and Sunday AAU games. Somehow, I could see him in a really happy mood.
Dolobha admitted that it felt strange because he was told what the NBA Finals would be like in terms of pressure and the need to execute. But the ability to play freely and without hesitation has helped him, especially when the Knicks are down.
Jacqueline Cruz, mother of Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, died on May 16 in Minneapolis after a weeks-long battle with COVID-19. He was 59 years old. The photo shows Cruz with Towns during his official 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year photos. (Brian Peterson/Star Tribune)
When Jalen Brunson hit a dagger mid-range jumper late in the fourth quarter to beat the Knicks, it was City who made things happen in the third quarter to erase a 14-point deficit to allow New York a chance to return to the NBA Playoffs.
Towns created some second-chance buckets for the Knicks, while playing defense for Spurs star Victor Wembanyama to gain momentum back on his team's bench. At one point, Towns was huffing and puffing, obviously winded after giving it his all in the quarter.
Towns finished the game with 18 points and 12 rebounds for another double-double in the playoffs, while recording four assists and one block. He shot 7-of-15 from the field, and even admitted after the game that he didn't believe he, or the Knicks as a whole, played a great offensive game.
But it was the team's defense that helped them rally and get the buckets they needed on the other end to close out the 10-point victory.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns checks the call during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio on June 3, 2026. (David J. Phillip/AP)
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The win marked the 12th in a row for the Knicks, as their playoff run has been truly spectacular to watch en route to the NBA Finals. They will look for lucky number 13 on Friday night in Game 2 against the Spurs before returning to Madison Square Garden next week.
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