A lot has happened, but the Knicks are back on top. They did it in the fifth game of the NBA Finals, against the Wembanyama Spurs and far from the Big Apple. In a packed Frost Bank Center, New York beat San Antonio by 94-90 and closed the tie by 4-1 to become champion again 53 years later.
Those of Mike Brown They won again from the suffering. On a very tough night, the Knicks had to fight for almost the entire game against the Spurs who were ahead for many minutes and reached the last quarter with the opportunity to extend the series.
However, New York found its way again at the decisive moment to knock out the Spurs who, once again, did not know how to stop the Knicks’ acceleration.
Jalen Brunsonhuge all night long, author of 45 points and MVP of the Finalswas the great leader of a victory that is now part of the history of the franchise.
The same old beginning
The start belonged to the Spurs. San Antonio came out with more rhythm and more success, as had already happened in all the games in these Finals.
New York, on the other hand, had trouble finding offensive continuity and once again relied too much on Brunson. The bench still did not appear in attack and, every time the game threatened to open up too much, the point guard found an answer to keep his team alive. SAS defense was key to leaving the Knicks alone thirteen points in the first quarter.
Victor Wembanyama It also had a lot of weight in that section. The Frenchman finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blockssome numbers far from its best version. Merit also goes to the great defenses of the Knicks who did not let the Frenchman shine in these Finals.
With water up to the neck
The third quarter was the most delicate moment for New York. The Knicks were closer than ever to losing control of the game.
The situation became complicated with KAT on the bench for his four fouls. Without the Dominican on the court, the team lost a fundamental reference in attack and rebounding.
The lack of bench production was also a huge problem. The Knicks substitutes They didn’t score a single point until there were 40 seconds left in the third quarter.when Clarkson made a basket that broke the drought.
Dylan Harper It was lethal in the third quarter. The Spurs rookie was one of the few good news from Mitch Johnson’s team. Harper finished the game as SAS’ leading scorer with 25 points and 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
The data explains many things. The New York bench only contributed 9 out of 94 points of the team. For this reason, Brunson’s exhibition had even more value. The point guard contributed almost half of his team’s points, an absolute madness for the setting and everything at stake in San Antonio.
The collapse of the Spurs
Once again, the game was closed in the last quarter. The match reached the decisive stage with the Spurs ahead 65-72. New York took a step forward in the fourth quarter and began to make San Antonio more uncomfortable.
The Knicks then signed a partial 10-0 which put them back into the fight. The game was still Spurs’, but the atmosphere was no longer the same. Little by little, New York was getting closer on the scoreboard and San Antonio began to feel the pressure.
With just a few minutes remaining, the Knicks managed to turn the score around and take the lead in the game. Something that they had not achieved since the first quarter and that left San Antonio without an answer. New York knew how to make good use of its advantage and ended up winning by 94-90.
The Knicks thus broke a drought of 53 years without winning the NBA ring. They have achieved it in a historic season in which Mike Brown’s men have achieved the first double in the history of the league by winning the NBA Cup and the NBA in the same season. Something that no team had achieved until now and that, in addition, came with the two titles won against the Spurs in the Finals.
New York once again rules the NBA. He does it with Brunson as great hero and as the banner of a city that had been waiting for more than half a century to celebrate a ring again.