As anticipation continues to build for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, former NFL star Antonio Brown has made his feelings known about the schedule.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver took to social media on Sunday to criticize the NBA for not scheduling a Finals game on Sunday night.
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“Not having an NBA Finals game on a Sunday is a fu**ing crime,” Brown posted on X.
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Brown’s frustration was also shared by many other fans who would have preferred to watch a Finals matchup during one of the most popular television viewing windows of the week.
After Games 1 and 2 were separated by only a single off day, many fans assumed the Finals would continue on Sunday evening. However, the league opted for a Monday-night game at Madison Square Garden, which has drawn criticism from portions of the online basketball community.
The Spurs enter Game 3 trailing 2-0 in the series. They face a big challenge as they attempt to get back into the Finals. History is not on their side, as only five teams have recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win the NBA championship.
In Friday’s Game 2, San Antonio suffered a heartbreaking 105–104 defeat after Jalen Brunson converted a go-ahead free throw with roughly 10 seconds remaining. The decisive sequence came after a turnover by Victor Wembanyama led to a foul on Brunson, allowing New York to take the lead for good.
The opener was similarly painful for the Spurs. Despite holding a one-point advantage with just over two minutes remaining, they watched the Knicks close the game on an 11-0 run to secure a 105-95 victory and seize early control of the series.
Antonio Brown was not the only person frustrated by the NBA Finals schedule
Antonio Brown was not alone in criticizing the NBA Finals schedule on Sunday. Several prominent sports media personalities also questioned the league’s decision not to stage Game 3 between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on Sunday evening.
Among them was Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who said that NBA Finals games should be a fixture of the Sunday sports calendar.
“Why isn’t Game 3 of NBA finals today? Seems like a miss. There should always be Finals game on Sundays in my humble but almost always correct opinion,” Portnoy wrote on X.
“I know coordinating both schedules on ABC/ESPN isn’t easy, but not having an NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Final game on Sunday seems like a missed opportunity,” The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi added.
The NBA’s scheduling decisions this year were reportedly influenced by the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with the league choosing to begin the Finals on a Wednesday in an effort to avoid potential conflicts later in the calendar.
Despite this, the absence of a Sunday Finals game was confusing for many fans and media members. For many, Sunday has traditionally been one of the premier viewing windows for championship basketball.
Interestingly, this is not the first time a Spurs-Knicks Finals matchup has not had a Sunday contest. The last time it happened was in 1999, when the Knicks and Spurs met in the NBA Finals during the lockout-shortened season.
Edited by Habib Timileyin
