Knicks Fans Surround Victor Wembanyama as New Yorkers Heckle Spurs Team

The city of New York is in a party mood, with Madison Square Garden set to host its first NBA Finals game since 1999 on Monday. As one of the most passionate fanbases in the league, Knicks fans are already making their presence felt on the San Antonio Spurs' players.

A massive crowd of Knicks supporters gathered outside the Spurs' hotel to give them a different kind of greeting. As Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs exited the hotel to board the team bus, they were met with boos and heckling from the fans.

A clip of a fan telling the Spurs to "keep the bus running" also went viral. The fan told the visiting team that they were going to leave as losers soon anyway, so they should keep the bus warm and ready to head back to the airport.

Wembanyama, however, just kept smiling. It's something he was probably expecting before heading to New York for Games 3 and 4.

Knicks fans often targeted stars of opposing teams with profanity-laced trash talk, letting them know exactly what they think of them. Especially in the postseason, opposing stars have had to endure cussing and passionate jeers from Knicks fans as they try to get into the players' heads.

This particular carries a little extra weight for Knicks fans, since they view it as a chance to exact revenge on the Spurs. Their last trip to the Finals ended with a 4-1 defeat to San Antonio, which was led by the legendary Greg Popovich.

That year, under the leadership of a 36-year-old Patrick Ewing, they went 27-23 during the lockout-shortened regular season, finishing 8th in the West.

Despite being on the lower end of the standings, they beat the Miami Heat in five games in round one. Then, they swept the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference semifinals. In the next round, they endured the Indiana Pacers, beating them in six games.

In the Finals, the Spurs beat them in the first two games. The Knicks bounced back to take game 3, but that was their only victory in the series. San Antonio won Games 4 and 5 to capture its first title in franchise history.

This year, though, the Knicks have done a good job at containing the Spurs' stars to take the series lead.

San Antonio's star duo has underperformed so far in the NBA Finals

The New York Knicks seemed to have found a way to slow Victor Wembanyama down in Game 1 of the NBA Finals itself. With Karl-Anthony Towns as his primary defender, he made only 2-of-12 attempts. Overall, he finished the game with a 6-for-21 clip.

Wemby did finish the game with 26 points, but 12 of those came from free throws. He also turned the ball over six times, a major reason his team lost 105-95.

Then in Game 2, the tough defense might have gotten in Wemby's head. In the first half, he only attempted 4 shots. At halftime, he'd only scored seven points for the Spurs. He did eventually turn things on in the second half, going 9-for-17 for 22 points in the last two quarters. However, he also made a crucial mistake in the closing seconds.

Wembanyama turned the ball over on an ill-timed pass to Stephon Castle, which led to a pair of Jalen Brunson free throws. Brunson only converted on one, but it was enough to put his team up by one.

On the other end, Wemby missed the potential game-winner, allowing the Knicks to sneak away with the 105-104 win.

As for De'Aaron Fox, he was a complete non-factor in Game 1. He scored only 7 points on 3-of-13 shooting and had 3 turnovers. He had a bounce-back performance in Game 2, scoring 20 on an efficient 8-of-12 clip, but he also turned the ball over four times.

With how the Spurs' star duo handled the first two games, one can't help but wonder how they'll rise to the occasion in Games 3 and 4 with multitudes of Knicks fans booing them at every opportunity.