Stephon Castle Calls MSG Finals Crowd 'Underwhelming,' Ranks OKC Louder
The Spurs guard averaged 35.2 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26) — and he's not shy about ranking playoff arenas either.
Trending up +3.6 FPTS over his last five and still ranked outside the top 50.
- Castle: MSG crowd 'underwhelming' in Finals Game 3
- Says OKC was 'way louder' than New York
- Castle put up 35.2 FPTS/G last season (2025-26)
- Ranked #51 overall, #24 at guard in our model
- Spurs-Knicks rematch set for Christmas Day at MSG
Stephon Castle isn't buying the Madison Square Garden mystique. In a GQ Sports interview, the Spurs guard called the MSG crowd "underwhelming" during Game 3 of last spring's NBA Finals — the first Finals game the Garden had hosted in 27 years — and said Oklahoma City was a "way louder" building. That's a pointed take, considering San Antonio had just outlasted the Thunder in a Game 7 on OKC's floor to reach the Finals for the first time since 2014.
The context matters. New York was up 2-0 and returning home for Game 3, a moment billed as one of the most anticipated in Finals history. Instead the Knicks lost that night — their only defeat of the series — before rallying to win the franchise's first title since 1973. Castle, who logged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists across 68 games last season (2025-26), essentially said the hype outran the reality inside the arena.
Castle averaged 35.2 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26), good for our rank of #51 overall and #24 among guards. For a second-year type carrying that kind of usage and assist load, that's a genuinely useful floor — and the trend line is pointing up.
The Rematch Circle On Your Calendar
These two aren't done with each other. After meeting in both the NBA Cup title game and the Finals, the Knicks and Spurs square off twice in 2026-27: San Antonio visits MSG on Christmas Day for the Finals rematch, then hosts New York on March 7. Expect the crowd noise storyline to get recycled every time these teams share a floor, and expect Castle to hear about his comments from the Garden faithful.
The Knicks' side of this is worth a glance too. OG Anunoby, whose tip-in off a Jalen Brunson miss with 1.2 seconds left won Game 4, sits at #81 overall (#26 at forward) after posting 31.3 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26). Brunson checks in at #30 overall on the strength of 40.5 fantasy points per game across 74 games last season (2025-26) — still the engine of that offense.
For fantasy managers, Castle is the name to act on. He's riding a hot stretch — up 3.6 fantasy points over his last five games versus his season average — while still sitting outside the top 50 in our model. That's a buy-low window before draft-room perception catches up to a guard trending toward a bigger role. Grab him now rather than paying full freight later.
