Stephon Castle Comments on Madison Square Garden Atmosphere

Stephon Castle didn’t seem too impressed with the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden during the NBA Finals. He experienced a shooting percentage of 37.7 across the five-game series, but when reflecting on Games 3 and 4, he mentioned feeling quite indifferent.

“The first game was a bit underwhelming,” Castle remarked about the crowd at MSG. “I expected it to be much more intense in there.”

Interestingly, Castle shone in Game 3, achieving his best performance of the Finals by shooting 57.1 percent—making 8 of 14 shots—and contributing 23 points, along with five rebounds and five assists. This performance helped the Spurs clinch a 115-111 victory.

“Honestly, the OKC crowd was way louder than MSG,” Castle added, referring to the Spurs’ previous series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It’s worth noting that the Thunder’s performance was shaky, managing to lose both home games in that series before heading into Game 3 down 0-2.

Castle’s comments might come as a surprise, considering that the Thunder seemed genuinely shaken by the MSG environment, having once blown a massive 29-point lead during the game against the Knicks.

In Game 4, the Knicks, backed by an impressive roster of celebrity fans, including the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Taylor Swift, witnessed a shocking turn of events when OG Anunoby scored a game-winning tip-in with just 1.2 seconds left. The Knicks fans were left in disbelief at what unfolded.

Post-Game 4, Spurs players were visibly disheartened, searching for explanations. Star player Victor Wembanyama expressed that the team appeared to lose focus after initially taking a significant lead.

“It’s tough, of course. It feels like we put in so much effort only to squander our advantages. It’s really that straightforward—it just hurts,” Wembanyama stated. “In the second half, we definitely weren’t as hungry… I can’t quite figure it out right now. Maybe it’s just poor execution, or a lack of aggression. We stopped moving the ball, and it showed.”

Despite being one of the youngest teams in the league last year, the Spurs head into the new season with a youthful yet more experienced squad, having eliminated the Thunder and led in every game during the NBA Finals.