Stephon Castle says Knicks’ MSG crowd was ‘underwhelming’ during NBA Finals: ‘OKC was way louder’

The Spurs are turning the page after their dream season came to an abrupt end in the NBA Finals, but comments by guard Stephon Castle ruffled a few feathers as training camp gets underway.

In an interview with GQ, Castle diminished the effectiveness of the Knicks‘ crowd during the NBA Finals, when celebrities littered the sidelines in courtside seats.

Castle and the Spurs split the two games in New York but lost all three in San Antonio, with blown double-digit leads in three of their four losses in the series.

Here’s a look at Castle’s comments about the Knicks’ crowd.

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Stephon Castle says Knicks’ MSG crowd was ‘underwhelming’

The Knicks’ first home NBA Finals game in 27 years, with a 2-0 series lead, was billed as the event of the summer in New York, but Castle told GQ he was surprised about the atmosphere.

“It was underwhelming in that first game,” Castle said. “They made it seem like it was going to be way crazier in there.”

The ovation the Knicks received when they came out onto the floor in Game 3 amazed the “Inside the NBA” crew, but with a laundry list of celebrities in the building, including U.S. president Donald Trump, the crowd seemed tense for much of the game. Game 3 would go down as New York’s only loss of the series.

Come Game 4, however, the crowd seemed to play a role in rallying the Knicks back from a 29-point deficit to stun the Spurs.

“OKC was way louder than MSG,” Castle said, giving credit to the fans who cheered on the Thunder during the Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs went 3-3 on the road and 2-4 at home between the conference finals and NBA Finals, so San Antonio might be more comfortable as road warriors regardless of the crowd’s enthusiasm.