SAN ANTONIO — It doesn’t seem sporting that the New York Knicks have eight or nine starters, while the Spurs only have five. But there you go.New York’s journey to the brink of an NBA championship — the championship that has evaded the franchise for 53 years — has been built, for the last month-plus, on this premise. There is no noticeable drop-off when Jalen Brunson has an off night, Karl-Anthony Towns gets in foul trouble or assorted Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers or Spurs get on a roll. Nothing has fazed the Knicks for six weeks now, including Friday night.The Knicks faced a desperate San Antonio team that knew it had to get out of town with a split to have a realistic shot at the title, before the series shifts to what will be a … let’s say volcanic Madison Square Garden for Game 3 Monday night.And the best supporting cast this side of “Euphoria” kept shining.There was Mikal Bridges, knocking down three 3s in the second quarter, as New York erased a 12-point deficit to take a 56-52 halftime lead. There was OG Anunoby, the poster child for elite 3-and-D play, coming up with a steal, an assist and a dunk, as New York stretched its lead to 14 points in the fourth, bulling his way to the rim when finesse, as it never does during the finals, wouldn’t do. There was Landry Shamet, picked up off waivers a year ago, continuing to scorch nets, including two more 3s in the fourth quarter.And, after the Knicks quickly blew that fourth-quarter lead in five fast minutes, Mitchell Robinson played textbook defense against Victor Wembanyama on San Antonio’s final two possessions, forcing misses on both jumpers — including the last one — to preserve a 105-104 win and give New York a 2-0 series lead.“So I know we needed stops and I had picked up a few fouls on him,” Mitchell said afterward. “Like I think, what, three, like early on. So in my mind, I was just like, defend without fouling. So that was kind of like how it went. Just great contest, and just kind of how it went.”As New York hasn’t lost a playoff game in 43 days, dating to Game 3 of its first-round series with the Hawks, it’s hard to see the Knicks not now closing this out, and exorcising the demons that have plagued the franchise for decades. Especially given what their non-superstars are doing.