Why Karl-Anthony Towns Is One of Rich’s Favorite Knicks Ever

Chet Holmgren took heat for a rough Game 7, one-of-two from the floor, and said he would study the tape. Rich had a better suggestion: do not watch your own tape, watch Karl-Anthony Towns from Game 1 of the NBA Finals. It was also Rich's way of explaining why Towns has become one of his favorite Knicks ever.

Towns played with zero fear. He came in with a plan and an intensity, Rich said, beating Victor Wembanyama off the dribble on the regular. Rich relayed a Richard Jefferson observation that captured it: most players who beat a man off the dribble at the arc end up out of position, but Towns is always in position, closing out like the condor he is, blocking shots even when he appears beaten.

The full performance was a statement. Towns put a body on Wembanyama defensively, shot threes and facilitated, essentially looking the alien in the eye and saying, let's play basketball. He poured in 10 of his 18 points in the third quarter when the Knicks trailed by 14, a run he started with OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson finished. He grabbed 12 rebounds, made all four free throws and finished plus-14, second on the team only to Josh Hart's plus-22, and Hart did not even play the first half.

What Rich loves most is the spirit. Towns approaches everything with love, he said, the only exception being TJ, whom Towns roasts as a Cowboys fan with mariachi bands and balloons, because you only roast the ones you love. For a player long dismissed as soft by tough guys, walking into Wembanyama's house in Game 1 and not blinking was its own answer.

The reason behind the calm came out on Inside the NBA, when Kenny Smith asked Towns if anything felt different. Towns described a peace he could not fully explain, a comfort he attributed to the woman above. He felt like a kid again, like he was getting ready for a Saturday AAU game, like he could see her in the stands. Game 1 of the Finals is supposed to carry the most pressure, and instead he felt a loving presence and simply had fun.

Towns was speaking about his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who died of COVID complications in 2020, one of multiple family members he lost. It moved Rich to text him on the spot to tell him he was one of his favorite Knicks ever, a message Rich sent to be emotionally present whether or not Towns replied. He did.

Rich made it personal. He spoke of losing his own father years ago and still feeling him every day, the same way Larry Fitzgerald, who just lost his dad, surely will. He loves how emotionally present and intelligent Towns is, and he hopes it rubs off on a locker room that, just a year ago, was full of stories about Towns rubbing teammates the wrong way.

Whatever was said about him then, the math now is simple. The Knicks are three wins from a Canyon of Heroes parade.