Charles Barkley is not one to shy away from saying what's on his mind. After the New York Knicks advanced 2-0 against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, Barkley had some strong words for one specific player.

Barkley took the opportunity to name Karl-Anthony Towns as his MVP pick. While the Knicks celebrated their victory, Barkley took the time to speak and choose KAT on ESPN's Inside the NBA.

"The MVP of the Finals is gonna be Karl-Anthony Towns," Barkley said on ESPN's Inside the NBA. "He has played two of the best games I've ever seen a big man play. He was great in Game 1, he was great in Game 2. That man earned his flowers."

The stats prove Barkley right. Towns recorded 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting at 66.7%, in Game 2. In the 2 games so far, Towns is averaging 12.5 rebounds per game, which is the most in the series, even with 7’4” Victor Wembanyama on the San Antonio roster.

Town's stat sheet only told part of the story after the win. In a post-game interview, the Knicks star shared that during the Spurs' final possession, with 7.5 seconds remaining, he prayed to his late mother, Jacqueline Cruz.

"I needed a stop," Towns said in his postgame interview. "It's amazing as you go through life, if you lose a parent, you just look for signs. I'll take any sign I could get, and I prayed to her strong before that possession."

Wembanyama failed to hit the possible game-winning mid-range shot, and the Knicks were victorious. Now, with the Knicks two victories away from breaking a 53-year title-winning drought, Towns is carrying the franchise and something more deep-rooted and personal.

Because of Town's powerful will, he could show this during the game's critical moments against the one player many think will control this series.

Victor Wembanyama Has No Answer for Karl-Anthony Towns So Far

Towns just wouldn’t let Wembanyama have his moment. With the game on the line, he drove hard to the basket during the last few seconds to try to turn the game around for San Antonio, but Towns went vertical, used his entire 7-foot body, and forced him to miss.

The final score read Knicks 105, Spurs 104, and New York walked away with a 2-0 series lead.

Wembanyama did not shy away from giving credit after the game. "It's very different from previous series," he said in his postgame press conference. "It's bringing us into difficult areas because they're good players, he's a good player."

The French star also acknowledged that San Antonio still has adjustments to make. "We need to figure it out. We need to keep working on it. We can do a little bit better," Wembanyama added, despite finishing as the game's leading scorer with 29 points and nine rebounds.

For Wembanyama, who is still in his rookie Playoffs, Towns is clearly the most difficult challenge he has had to face, and with how the Games are going, it is a do-or-die situation for San Antonio for Game 3 in Madison Square Garden.

Who do you think wins the NBA Finals MVP if the Knicks close it out? Comment down below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta