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Jalen Brunson went to the locker room with an injury scare late in the first quarter of Game 1 on Wednesday night in San Antonio. The Knicks trailed by 14 in the third. The Spurs went back ahead by one with two minutes left.
Then Brunson hit a corner three. Then a 14-foot pull-up jumper with 30 seconds left. The Knicks won 105-95 for their 12th consecutive playoff victory.
On Thursday, ESPN's Jay Williams got on Get Up and said what he's been building toward all postseason.
"He's the antithesis," Williams said of Brunson. "Well, guys are overpaid, he's not overpaid. You think about other things: teams are tanking, they didn't tank, they built it the right way, they built the right culture around that. Load management, when is he load managing? 'Oh, I hurt my pinky toe, I can't play.' This dude hurts his knee, he hurts his ankle, he comes back in, and he closes a game down the stretch."
"You tell me this guy at 6'1, 6'2 isn't the most likable player in the NBA right now. How do you root against a guy like that?"
What made Brunson's Game 1 performance the perfect backdrop for Williams' take
Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter alone, six fewer than the entire Spurs team managed in that period. He did it on a road floor against Victor Wembanyama, who scored 26 in his Finals debut. He did it after leaving the game injured. He did it by walking through the same defensive coverages that teams have been throwing at him for three straight playoff runs.
Knicks coach Mike Brown summed it up after the game.
"He's a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows up. That's what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands and said we were going to live and die with him .. and he got it done."
Brunson has averaged 27.6 points this postseason without a load management game, a single night off, or a public complaint about his usage. The Knicks won their first Finals game since 1999. They are three wins from their first championship since 1973.
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