How Karl-Anthony Towns' late mother comforted him in Game 1

· Yahoo Sports

The NBA Finals are the pinnacle of basketball, a stage every player aspires to reach and as high-pressure an environment as any in sports. Karl-Anthony Towns, however, didn't feel much pressure at all.

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After the New York Knicksstole Game 1 from the San Antonio Spurs with a late rally, Towns explained why he was able to remain even-keeled in his first career Finals game. Get your tissues ready.

"I just felt a calm and a peace that had to come from the woman above," Towns said, referring to his late mother. "I felt really confident about today. I felt good. I felt like a kid. It was just fun out here. It was something that as a kid you always dream about."

Towns made a huge impact in Game 1, scoring 18 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four assists. His ability to play loose and with a childlike joy came from feeling his mother's presence in the Frost Bank Center.

"In a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands," Towns said. "It was fun. It was really fun. And it was really comforting because Game 1 of the NBA Finals you're told how the pressure's gonna be and everything is. It felt like a certain presence was here that was very comforting and very loving and I felt like I could have fun out here in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which is the weirdest thing because you would expect to have the pressure at the highest."

Who is Karl-Anthony Towns' mother?

Jacqueline Cruz-Towns. She died at age 58 in 2020 from complications of COVID-19. Towns and his mother were extremely close, with the Timberwolves describing her as Towns' No. 1 fan shortly after her passing.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: How Karl-Anthony Towns' late mother comforted him in Game 1

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