The NBA Finals are back at Madison Square Garden.
And Landry Shamet returned to earth.
Entering Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Shamet was one of the biggest stories of the postseason, riding a career-best eight 3-point games in playoff history after being eliminated in the first round.
But Mike Brown’s most trusted reserve ended up bucking the law of averages, scoring just three points while shooting 1-for-8 from the field in the Knicks’ 115-111 loss to the Spurs on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Shamet, who is 1-for-7 on 3-pointers, has shot nearly 68 percent from the perimeter in his last eight games and has scored at least 13 points in his last four games.
“Good process, had a good look, a few down and outs,” said Shamet, who finished with a minus-20 average. “Process over result. I’m upset about some of the things I was bragging about. I had a few things I didn’t do my job the way I needed to do. That’s fixable. Sometimes the gods give it to you and you go out and the ball doesn’t go in.”
While Jordan Clarkson (10 points, three rebounds) and Jose Alvarado (four points, three rebounds) provided power off the bench, Shamet and Miles McBride (scoreless in nine minutes) contributed to the Knick’s first loss since April 23.
Shamet’s breakthrough was a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to pull the Knicks within two, but the veteran struggled down the stretch, missing three attempts in the fourth quarter, including a foul, forced 3-pointer that drew gasps from the electric Garden crowd.
“They came out, they made changes, they were physical,” said Shamet. “They kicked us down and we have to come back again.
“We have to look in the mirror and get better and we’re going to do that. I feel good knowing we can clean up some things. We’re going to be better in Game 4.”
It’s another chance to leave his mark on one of the biggest games in Knicks history. This is another opportunity to add another chapter to his story that he will never do.
“The city was crazy, you could hear it from Mars, I’m sure,” Shamet said of the atmosphere in Game 3. “New York was buzzing. Lots of energy. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win from the home fans, but we’ll respond and we’ll get better.”
