Jalen Brunson is the King of New York. Forever. The Knicks guard scored 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, to overcome yet another deficit to the Spurs, leading the Knicks to their first NBA Championship since 1973, with a 94-90 win over the Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Brunson's efforts on the night, combined with his other performances in the series, made him the easy choice as the winner of the Bill Russell Award for Finals MVP.
It was a familiar script, with the Spurs taking an early lead and maintaining into the fourth quarter, only to see the Knicks surge to victory. In this one, the Spurs got the early lead, built it to 15 in the third quarter, then watched it slowly erode until the Knicks took their first lead since it was 3-2 in the first quarter, with 3:40 remaining in the game, 86-85, on three Brunson free throws. The Spurs never led again, tying it briefly at 88-88.
My take: Long-suffering Knicks fans can rejoice. I was a wee lad the last time the Knicks hoisted the trophy. Brunson is a warrior and deserving of all the accolades. Destiny? Perhaps. They went 16-3 in the playoffs, 15-1 in their last 16 games. They were not the most talented team, but they were the most relentless, carrying that intangible factor seen, if undefinable, in every championship squad. Well deserved.
THE ASYLUM
Brunson carries Knicks to title
Jalen Brunson is the King of New York. Forever. The Knicks guard scored 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, to overcome yet another deficit to the Spurs, leading the Knicks to their first NBA Championship since 1973, with a 94-90 win over the Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Brunson's efforts on the night, combined with his other performances in the series, made him the easy choice as the winner of the Bill Russell Award for Finals MVP.
It was a familiar script, with the Spurs taking an early lead and maintaining into the fourth quarter, only to see the Knicks surge to victory. In this one, the Spurs got the early lead, built it to 15 in the third quarter, then watched it slowly erode until the Knicks took their first lead since it was 3-2 in the first quarter, with 3:40 remaining in the game, 86-85, on three Brunson free throws. The Spurs never led again, tying it briefly at 88-88.
My take: Long-suffering Knicks fans can rejoice. I was a wee lad the last time the Knicks hoisted the trophy. Brunson is a warrior and deserving of all the accolades. Destiny? Perhaps. They went 16-3 in the playoffs, 15-1 in their last 16 games. They were not the most talented team, but they were the most relentless, carrying that intangible factor seen, if undefinable, in every championship squad. Well deserved.
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