SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jalen Brunson and the resilient Knicks have pulled off yet another remarkable comeback. But this time, they’ve claimed the ultimate prize as NBA champions.
After a 53-year wait, New York stands atop the NBA once more. Brunson delivered a stellar performance, dropping 45 points and scoring 13 consecutive in the crucial fourth quarter, leading the Knicks to a 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night.
Securing the series with a 4-1 victory, the Knicks consistently overcame double-digit deficits in each of their wins. On Saturday night, they faced a 16-point gap. Yet, Brunson and his team maintained their composure throughout.
Brunson finished with an impressive flourish, setting a new franchise record for points scored in a finals game. He surpassed Willis Reed’s previous record of 38 points, achieved against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 3 of the 1970 finals. This record now belongs to the left-handed point guard who transformed the Knicks’ fortunes upon joining them four years ago.
Teaming up with Brunson were Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, completing the trio dubbed the “Nova Knicks,” all former NCAA champions at Villanova. Together, they added a combined 27 points to the scoreboard, with Bridges contributing 14 and Hart 13.
Brunson won NCAA crowns twice with Villanova — both in Texas, the 2016 one in Houston and the 2018 one in San Antonio, just a few miles away from the arena that the Spurs call home.
A Texas three-step of titles, and this one was surely the sweetest of all.
Dylan Harper scored 25 for the Spurs, who got 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots from Victor Wembanyama.
The Knicks improved to 4-0 in closeout opportunities this season, winning them all on the road. It didn’t feel like the road, though — not with thousands of New York faithful having made the trip to Texas to see a moment 53 years in the making.
New York got to the brink of this title by rallying from 29 points down in Game 4 to win 107-106 on OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left on Wednesday night. It was the largest comeback in NBA Finals history and the biggest comeback in any game this season, regular season or playoffs.
By comparison, then, a 16-point rally in this one seemed easy.
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