NEW YORK — Sir Isaac Newton would like a word about these NBA Finals.In a postmortem sort of way, of course.Since the famed polymath taught us 340 years ago how “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” and this storied New York Knicks franchise that hasn’t won it all in about that long finds itself up 2-0 against San Antonio, it’s time to explore what it might mean if this gritty group shocks the basketball world by finishing the job.The reaction, in many forms, would be quite epic.The chaos and sheer bliss that would be unleashed on the streets of the United States’ biggest city are a given, what with the 53-year drought between titles and all (it would be the Knicks’ third ever). As we saw in those first two games, when Knicks fans descended on San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center as if it was their own, this fanbase rolls deep and can be quite dominant in its own right. Much like their favorite team — the one that has now won 13 consecutive playoff games during this historic, and unexpected, run.But today’s more specific focus is the reputational stakes for the Knicks’ most divisive talent: Karl-Anthony Towns. Of all the players who entered this postseason with something to prove, Towns might have topped the list.It has been less than two years since the stunning trade that brought him here from Minnesota, when his reward for helping the Timberwolves reach the West finals for the first time in two decades was to get sent to New York in the three-team deal in which Julius Randle, in essence, took his old job. More importantly, for the purposes of this discussion, it has only been nine months since Giannis Antetokounmpo’s interest in playing for the Knicks created even more job insecurity for Towns.While talks between Milwaukee and New York never gained traction, no one could blame Towns for wondering if history might repeat itself after the Knicks, much like the Timberwolves before them, reached the conference finals for the first time in 25 years last season. Especially considering the Knicks decided not to give him a contract extension around that same time.Fast forward to mid-January, when the Knicks lost nine games in 13 tries and Towns was clearly struggling to thrive in first-year coach Mike Brown’s system, and the questions remained about whether the 30-year-old, six-time All-Star was the right big man for this Knicks post. But Towns has spent these past seven weeks changing the narrative that surrounded him for so long, playing with the kind of tough, selfless and whatever-it-takes, two-way style that has pushed these Knicks to the brink of something special. And the league-wide chatter about Antetokounmpo coming the Knicks’ way, it’s safe to say, has certainly died down as a result.Along the way, with Towns leading the Knicks in playoff plus-minus while averaging 17.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the playoffs, it has become quite evident that he deserves the kind of respect that some of his peers have been loath to give over the years (from Jimmy Butler on down the line). His defense against Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama in this series’ first two games should be enough to reshape how he’s viewed. That this revelatory showing comes after Randle struggled so mightily to contain Wemby in the Spurs’ second-round win over Minnesota, meanwhile, surely makes it all that much sweeter for Towns. (Conversely, what might Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards be thinking as he ponders the what-if of it all right about now?)To hear Brown discuss Towns after Game 2 was to realize how far their relationship has come. The creative tension between them was no secret earlier this season, but Brown offered a blow-by-blow account of a process that has clearly put the Knicks in a much healthier, and more dangerous, place. Brown has a tendency to be a little long-winded, but this is worth the “listen” for anyone who is curious how they’re managing to pull this craziness off.“I came in with a great plan,” Brown said when asked about Towns’ evolution. “Maybe the plan doesn’t work. Who adjusts: Him or me? Me. I adjust. (But) the adjustment’s not enough. Every once in a while, we’re not on the same page. We talk about it. We talk about it. I adjust again. A little bit better. He’s feeling good. We talk about it. We talk — maybe we take a couple of steps backwards because what I did, he doesn’t like, which is fine.