Show Caption
These New York Knicks would not be denied.Once again, they self-sabotaged in a first quarter. Once again, they dug themselves in a hole. And once again the Knicks clawed from a double-digit deficit to pull off another improbable victory, this one Saturday, June 13 to clinch an NBA championship for the first time in 53 years.The Knicks faced a 10-point deficit with 8:21 left in the fourth quarter but closed the game on a 21-7 run to steal another game from the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, to launch themselves atop the NBA world.Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson willed New York behind a franchise NBA Finals record 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including 13-of-15 from the line, to stake his claim as NBA Finals MVP. The rest of Brunson’s teammates, by comparison, scored 49 points.Relieve Knicks' glorious championship with new bookThis is New York’s third NBA title and first since 1973.Here are takeaways from Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs:Jalen Brunson etches his name among the game’s greatestBrunson scored nearly half — 47.9% — of New York’s points in the NBA Finals clinching game. He tied Michael Jordan for most in Finals history in a championship-clincher.Brunson, 29, is a three-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and now has a championship and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award to his name.Brunson faced criticism about not being able to be the lead on a championship team because of his size and style of play. Not only did he shatter those narratives, the Knicks have established themselves as a power behind Brunson and his team-friendly contract. All of which will only make it more likely for the Knicks to firmly remain as title contenders for years to come.“I’ve said it, and I hope you guys will listen to me but he’s a Top 3 MVP candidate,” Knicks coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game. “Everybody kind of mentions his name in passing. They don’t do it seriously enough. People say he’s too small. People say he’s a 1B or a 2B or whatever.“He is a freaking 1A. He is an MVP candidate. And I hope tonight you guys — and I’m talking to the media more than the fans, but I hope you guys recognize what this man is about because he is A1 MVP. He is him.”The Spurs meltdowns are a significant concern beyond this yearSan Antonio is a young team, and the NBA Finals are unlike anything in basketball. Some nerves are to be expected. But San Antonio’s inability to close games out proved to be its fatal flaw.The Spurs held a double-digit lead at some point in each of the fourth quarters this series. Inside two minutes of play, in each game, they either held a lead at some point or where at least tied. San Antonio lost the Finals in five games.The issue throughout the series was offense. As the Knicks ramped up their defensive intensity late in games, the Spurs simply could not find ways to generate any semblance of consistent offense.For the second consecutive game, the Spurs held a double-digit lead midway through the fourth quarter, but utterly melted down on offense.San Antonio scored just 7 points in the game’s final 8:21 and went just 3-of-17 (17.6%) over that stretch.Victor Wembanyama is a special player, but he struggled down the stretch when New York clamped down to create his own shots. More of the blame should fall to guards De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, who couldn’t penetrate past New York’s defense and create opportunities for their teammates.“Our domination stints are absolute,” Wembanyama said after the game. “We absolutely dominated for most of the series. But our errors, our mistakes, are punished so hard that we can’t have ups and downs like this. So much, you know. The ups are okay. The downs is the reason we lost.”This can be a learning experience, and the Spurs should grow from this, but coach Mitch Johnson will also need to take this experience to figure out ways to slow things down when the avalanche runs come from opposing teams. Johnson will also need to find ways to scheme easier offense.It’s remarkable that the Knicks won the series in spite of its slow startsThe Knicks lost every first quarter in the Finals. And it’s not just that they started in early holes, what has stood out was how poor and inefficient they were in first periods.Saturday night, New York missed its first 5 shot attempts and converted just 4-of-22 field goals (18.2%) in the first quarter. The Knicks committed 6 turnovers (which led to seven San Antonio points off those) and missed all eight of their attempts inside the paint.Granted, Victor Wembanyama lurked in the paint and altered many of those looks, but slow starts weren’t an aberration for the Knicks; they were practically guarantees.New York’s combined point differential across the first periods in the NBA Finals was -57. In each of the last three games, New York ended the first in a double-digit deficit.New York, frankly, was extremely fortunate the young Spurs are still learning the effort and intensity it takes to close teams out because first quarters like this probably should’ve been disqualifying for a championship.At this point, it’s pretty clear: Mitch Johnson needed to play Dylan Harper over De’Aaron FoxSometimes, players just have bad series.Knicks forward Mikal Bridges was abysmal in the first round before he erupted in the conference semis and conference finals.Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox is having a tough Finals. One game after a critical mental mistake in the final seconds of Game 4 helped the Knicks complete their record 29-point comeback, Fox once again struggled Saturday night.He scored just 7 points on 3-of-15 shooting. And while Fox did dish out 5 assists and helps settle the offense with his ball-handling, the reality is that rookie Dylan Harper is outplaying him. And it’s not particularly close.Harper was particularly dynamic in the third quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the period. The outburst came as the Spurs tried to build a bit of a cushion on New York headed into the fourth. Though it wasn’t enough, he was the player who led the charge in getting to the rim.What makes Harper particularly dangerous is how relentless and unafraid he is to attack the paint and get to the rim. The Spurs, at times this series, have settled for too many jumpers — 3-pointers in particular. Harper, who finished with a team-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, neutralizes that.San Antonio will have to make a decision on Fox, who signed a four-year max extension worth $228.6 million that keeps him locked in with the franchise through 2029-30.That’s a ton of money invested in a player who more or less disappeared, especially late in games.
