Stephon Castle Compares Challenge of Guarding Jalen Brunson vs. SGA in NBA Finals Video

Fresh off shadowing the two-time reigning NBA MVP, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle has drawn another tough assignment in the Finals.

A day removed from Wednesday's 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks, Castle told reporters he sees some similarities between New York's Jalen Brunson and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The big differences come with how each attacks offensively.

Castle and the Spurs will need to go back to the drawing board for their game plan on Brunson. The southpaw had a game-high 30 points along with three rebounds and two assists. He helped the Knicks overcome a 14-point deficit.

Knicks-Spurs Highlights

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Not surprisingly, Castle isn't panicking after one game. He thought San Antonio's lack of collective postseason experience may have been a hindrance in the opener.

"We feel like we're the better team," he said. "We didn't play well and still had a chance to win. ... If we take one thing from that, just going back to being ourselves."

The Knicks have been a buzz saw throughout this playoff run. They've reeled off 12 wins in a row and boast a plus-19.1 net rating, per NBA.com. The Spurs are next at plus-9.9.

Some thought New York's dominance reflected more on the competition in the Eastern Conference than the team's title credentials. The Spurs were the clear favorites coming into the Finals in the eyes of oddsmakers.

San Antonio's defeat may not mean that much in the bigger picture. It dropped the first game of the conference semifinals before eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves, and it fell behind 2-1 to the Thunder in the conference finals.

Coach Mitch Johnson and his staff have a day off to make any necessary adjustments before Game 2. Slowing down Brunson will be one of their primary objectives.