By Matt Audilet0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Retired NBA player Jeremy Lin joined ESPN as an analyst for the NBA Finals matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.
The Knicks stole Game 1 on the road, taking down the Spurs with a 105-95 final score at San Antonio's Frost Bank Center. New York finished the game on a 12-0 run, outscoring the home team 29-19 in the fourth quarter.
Speaking with longtime ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt after the game, Lin criticized the Spurs' game plan to close out the series-opening contest. The former NBA star specifically noted the lack of offensive variety tailored toward superstar center Victor Wembanyama.
Read More on NBA"The focus for sure is the second half where they were minus-17, but specifically even in the fourth quarter, I didn't love the late-game offensive game plan," Lin said. "It was too much Wemby [isolation]. It just seemed like everything was difficult, everything was hard, everything was contested.
"Can we get him in more spontaneous, impulsive actions? Can we get him in some pin-downs? Can he set more screens? Can guards come set screens for him? It felt like every time down the floor they were giving him the ball, and KAT was doing a great job of playing defense, and Wemby was tired."
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Lin also believes NBA Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson should've played more minutes. Johnson finished the game with three points through just eight minutes of action.
Additionally, Lin called on improved play from veteran guard De'Aaron Fox — who scored just seven points on 3 of 13 shooting from the field.
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Game 2 of the NBA Finals will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday.
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