The NBA Finals returned to Madison Square Garden.
And Landry Shamet returned to earth.
Entering Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Shamet had been one of the postseason’s best stories, riding the best eight-game 3-point shooting stretch in playoff history after being booted from the rotation in the first round.
But Mike Brown’s most trusted reserve finally collided with 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 made 1-for-7 on 3-pointers, had shot nearly 68 percent from the perimeter in the previous eight games and scored at least 13 points in his previous four games.
“Great process, got some great looks, had a few that were down and out,” said Shamet, who finished with a team-worst minus-20 rating. “Process over outcome. I’m more upset about some of the things defensively that I’ve been priding myself on. I had a few possessions where I didn’t do my job like I needed to. That’s fixable. Sometimes the gods give you in and outs and the ball doesn’t go in.”
While Jordan Clarkson (10 points, three rebounds) and Jose Alvarado (four points, three rebounds) provided energy off the bench, Shamet and Miles McBride (scoreless in nine minutes) contributed to the Knicks’ first loss since April 23.
Shamet’s lone make came on 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 an ugly, forced 3-pointer that induced groans from the largely electric Garden crowd.
“They came out, they made adjustments, they were more physical,” Shamet said. “They kicked our ass and we’ve gotta bounce back.
“We gotta look in the mirror and get better and we’ll do that. I feel good about knowing we can clean some things up. We’ll be better in Game 4.”
It is another chance to leave his mark on one of the biggest games in Knicks history. It is another chance to add another chapter to his unlikely tale.
“The city was crazy, you could feel it from Mars, I’m sure,” Shamet said of the Game 3 atmosphere. “New York was buzzing. A lot of energy. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a win from the home fans, but we’ll respond and we’ll be better.”
