The San Antonio Spurs enter Game 2 of the NBA Finals trailing 1-0 after a 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks, but forward Julian Champagnie is not focused on the noise surrounding the series.
Speaking Thursday ahead of Friday’s matchup, the Brooklyn native reflected on several competitive moments from Game 1, including an exchange with Knicks guard Jose Alvarado that caught the attention of fans.
“I think it’s just friendly banter, honestly and truly,” Champagnie said. “Obviously I’ve known Jose for a while. He makes one, he talks, I make one, I talk. That’s just how New York is. That’s how it goes.”
The Spurs wing played a key role in San Antonio’s offense during stretches of Game 1, finishing with 16 points. He knocked down five three-pointers early before New York adjusted defensively and erased a 14-point second-half deficit.
“I think that the Knicks made some good adjustments,” Champagnie said. “Credit to them. They’re a good team, good coaching staff. I think that they did some things that kind of took away the corner three and the other threes. So we’ll figure out ways to kind of find those again.”
Champagnie’s shooting has been a major factor throughout San Antonio’s playoff run. He is averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting 40.2% from three-point range this postseason. When asked what allows him to get into a rhythm from deep, he pointed directly to his teammates.
“I always give credit to my teammates,” Champagnie said. “We have really good point guards and really good guards that like to point and place us where they need us and want us.”
He specifically highlighted De’Aaron Fox for helping create one of his recent scoring bursts.
“The last year I hit in the first half, Fox was just pointing and telling everybody where to go, but he did it purposely so I would get a three and it worked the way that he thought it would,” Champagnie said. “The rest was history from there.”
The physical nature of Game 1 also became a topic of discussion. Champagnie had visible exchanges with both Alvarado and Knicks reserve Landry Shamet during the game, though he downplayed any suggestion of bad blood.
“No physicality,” Champagnie said regarding the interaction with Shamet. “That was just competitiveness, honestly and truly. He made a shot, I made a shot, and we just talk a little bit. I like to compete, so that’s all it is.”
Champagnie believes his basketball upbringing in New York prepared him for moments like these on the NBA’s biggest stage.
“Playing in the park in the city, you have to win or you can’t go back on the court for a while,” he said. “There’s no foul calls out there. A lot of trash talking, a lot of physical bump and stuff like that.”
The opportunity to represent his hometown while competing for a championship is something he does not take lightly.
“Being able to bring one of those back to the hood would be real good,” Champagnie said.
Despite the Knicks taking Game 1 behind 30 points from Jalen Brunson, Champagnie remains confident in San Antonio’s approach. He praised the Spurs’ coaching staff, emphasized trust in the team’s game plan, and stressed that the focus remains on the court rather than the atmosphere surrounding the series.
“The goal is just to come out next game and just play hard, play better,” Champagnie said. “It’s just more so about what we have to worry about in between those four lines.”
