He was the smallest player on the court.
But in the biggest moments, Jalen Brunson stood tall. Like he always has throughout his New York tenure.
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And now, for the first time since 1973, the Knicks are NBA champions after a 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in a Game 5 thriller.
Once again, they did it despite a fast start from the Spurs, who became the first team in history to lose four games in the NBA Finals where they had double-digit leads.
It was heartbreak for the Spurs, who weren’t supposed to be here in the first place. They were too young. It wasn’t their time. They had to lose one to win one.
All of that may still be true, but it won’t make this easier to take. Not only Sunday’s loss, but the historic 29-point collapse in Game 4.
They were so close. Until they weren’t. Until a “masterpiece” from Brunson, as Mike Breen put it in commentary, with the Knicks guard stepping up as Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby battled foul trouble.
Brunson finished with 45 points, the most in a Finals-sealing win since Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021.
“Holy s***,” a speechless and visibly emotional Brunson said to Lisa Salters post-game.
“I got no words. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m just in awe. Whenever someone counted us out we found a way to come back and do something about it.
“We’re going to find a way. Whatever you put in front of us, it doesn’t matter… every time.”
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Both teams looked equally disjointed on offence to start Sunday’s game, with neither scoring a field goal in the opening two minutes.
That was until Victor Wembanyama blocked Towns on one end and then threw down the slam on the other.
The Spurs superstar picked up an early foul in Game 5 and the Knicks were making a concerted effort to go after him, to which Wembanyama responded by swatting two more shot attempts in the first five minutes.
The Knicks were saying all the right things in the lead-up to Sunday’s game, with the chance to close the series out and win the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
But on the court, they looked nervous and hesitant as they opened the game 1-for-10 from the field early.
The good news? The Spurs weren’t much better, only taking a 11-5 lead which was then cut in half as Game 4 hero Anunoby – who has been almost automatic from deep – splashed a corner 3-pointer to help steady things for the Knicks.
Still, the Knicks couldn’t get anything going in the paint, shooting 1-for-13 from inside the arc before eventually bringing up double figures off a patented Brunson mid-range jumper.
Brunson added a 3-pointer before the end of the first quarter, but it still made for ugly reading for the Knicks, who trailed 23-13.
In all honesty, Knicks coach Mike Brown would have been grateful it was only a 10-point deficit after being outscored 12-0 in the paint.
New York’s 13 points were the fewest scored by any team in the first quarter of a Finals game since the Warriors (11) in Game 6 of the 2016 finals.
The difference? Golden State trailed by 20 points on that occasion.
The Spurs pushed their lead out to 16 points early in the second quarter as Wembanyama splashed a deep 3-pointer, while the French phenom also added an extra two blocks to bring his tally to five.
But it never quite felt like San Antonio’s lead was enough considering how out of rhythm New York had been to open Sunday’s game, and seemed like a matter of time before the Knicks would catch fire.
That started to happen late in the second quarter, and the Spurs only really had themselves to blame after deciding to go away from doubling Brunson.
The result? The superstar guard scored eight quick points as the Knicks closed the gap to 40-37 right before a tough Devin Vassell bucket gave San Antonio some much-needed confidence entering halftime.
It still would have been a deflating feeling for the Spurs to hold a five-point lead given how poor the Knicks had been on offence, but it was at least something to cling to as they desperately looked to regain momentum.
It made it all the more important that they carried that momentum into the third and answered the New York fightback.
Otherwise, when the Knicks inevitably found their rhythm the Spurs risked being blown away as they battled the mental demons of throwing away yet another double-digit lead.
San Antonio got an early gift in the third quarter when Towns picked up his fourth foul and had to immediately sit, with Wembanyama subsequently scoring five quick points.
Although Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, who had been conservative with Wembanyama’s minutes seemingly in an attempt to conserve him for later in the game, gave the former first overall pick a quick breather.
It wasn’t the only careful balancing act for Johnson, who also wanted to put his trust in a struggling Fox, who was heavily scrutinised in the wake of the Game 4 collapse and had another moment to forget when he unnecessarily shoved Josh Hart late in the second quarter.
Coupled with his inability to get his shot going, former NBA MVP Charles Barkley called on Johnson to bench De’Aaron Fox at halftime in favour of Dylan Harper.
Johnson did go to the Harper-Castle backcourt early in the third quarter, although he went back to Fox with Castle, who entered Game 5 averaging 18.7 points in the series, managing just two points.
Harper, on the other hand, was “unstoppable” as Mike Breen put it in commentary, with the rookie showing no fear as he at one point outscored New York’s entire bench 21-0.
Harper had nine-straight points at one stage in the quarter, although he showed his inexperience as Brunson baited him into a foul on a 3-point attempt.
The Knicks guard was doing everything he could, with Anunoby and Towns not having their usual impact and the second unit offering little, to keep it close at 72-65 by the end of the third quarter.
Brunson was once again in everything as the Knicks went on a 10-0 run late in the fourth to tie up the game, getting the Spurs right where they wanted them entering clutch time.
With the game going right down to the wire, Mitchell Robinson came up with a championship-winning rebound after a missed free throw from Josh Hart.
If Robinson hadn’t come down with it, the Spurs would have had the ball at 91-88 with 26 seconds left.
Instead, the Knicks are now NBA champions and just like they were at the end of Game 4, the Spurs were left wondering what could have been.
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