The Finals — The Fifth Game
Tonight, the Knicks must prove that Wednesday’s Game 4 miracle was enough to break the camel’s back. Tonight, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Knicks can accomplish history.
The New York Knickerbockers can finally win their first championship since 1973.
The Knicks have been sensational in closeout games this postseason. They pummeled Atlanta by 51 points in the first round, defeated Philadelphia by 30 in the second, and capped off their second straight sweep with a 37-point win over Cleveland in the conference finals. The Knicks played all of those games on the road.
Wednesday’s historic 29-point comeback win, the largest by any team in NBA Finals history, should be enough to crack the Spurs’ championship dreams. Now that Victor Wembanyama is one flagrant point away from a suspension, he cannot exert the same level of physicality that he did in the first 3.5 games. That, too, should be enough.
Not to mention OG Anunoby’s Game 4 takeover, including the most iconic shot in Knicks basketball history, which should bring him up the MVP ladder. Individually, Anunoby and Brunson have had better series than Wembanyama, the alien poised to become the face of the NBA.
“I think I’ve been able to understand what a unique opportunity this is,” Brunson said. “When you’re doing the things that help you prepare for a game, prepare for moments, put yourself in routines that you’ve done your whole career, your whole life, when it comes to game time, you’re ready to go because you put yourself in a position to be ready.”
So far in this series, San Antonio has been the better team in the first quarter. In Game 3, it wasn’t even a question. But tonight, if the Knicks come out firing, they will make it even harder for the Spurs to extend this series. Already, San Antonio has a steep mountain to climb. It isn’t just their deficit, but the cohesion and confidence of the Knicks, that they must stifle.
Yet, the Spurs remain confident. Too confident.
“Everybody thinks — everybody knows — that we’re going to [come back],” Wemby said. “We’re very confident. I wouldn’t say it was so hard to shake it off. Harder than any other game before, by far. For sure. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”
Added Stephon Castle, “I feel like we’ve made history all year, and we’ve proven that, with our backs against the wall, that we can step up. So, I don’t really expect this to be any different.”
But something these Knicks have demonstrated throughout this postseason is that they know how to approach every game with a 0-0 mentality. They are a battle-tested squad; the Spurs are too young for such an accolade. So, their confidence is understandable. Naïve, maybe, but also unsurprising.
“I think whenever you win or lose a game, that night, you’re going to think about it,” Brunson said. “Think about the things you’ve done well or what you did wrong. I’ve always told myself that when you wake up the next day, it’s time to turn the page. Yes, we won [Game 4], but we still have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to learn.
“We didn’t play our best basketball. We still have a lot to revisit to make sure that we don’t really put ourselves in that position again. But honestly, we still have to continue to have the belief that we’ve had. It’s really important from that aspect.”
This Knicks team overcomes adversity brilliantly. In fact, they thrive in the face of obstacles and challenges. In other words, they laugh in the face of adversity. They excel at blocking out the noise, proving the naysayers wrong, and defying the odds. How would they have won 13 straight playoff contests if they spent any time worrying about what other people thought?
The NBA Finals are not for the faint of heart or mind. Teams that win championships possess sky-high levels of confidence, camaraderie, talent, and maturity, a key word. The Knicks are the more mature team in this series. If they lacked that attribute, they would not have achieved the largest comeback victory in NBA Finals history.
“Obviously, we have some veteran guys on the team,” said head coach Mike Brown. “But you can be a veteran and still have a little bit of immaturity about you, as we all know. From top to bottom, this group is pretty mature. That rubs off on the rest of the group. It makes my job easier.
“We understand any time you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases. The level of desperation for the fans of your opponents increases. You have to bring your best effort.”
Here we are, with the end of the road in sight. The battered-and-bruised Knickerbocker franchise is positioned for a change in fate. The championship drought that has plagued New York City since 2012 will finally recede. Joy will return to the Big Apple.
If we’re lucky, tomorrow morning, the city will have already been destroyed, except for the rusty gates to the Canyon of Heroes that will finally reopen for the Knicks.
Always Knicks
New York Forever
Game Information
Teams: New York Knicks (RS: 53-29, 22-19 Away) at San Antonio Spurs (RS: 62-20, 32-8 Home)
Time: 8:30 PM
Networks: ABC, ESPN App (Pregame and Postgame on MSG, Gotham Sports)
Venue: Frost Bank Center — 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, San Antonio, TX 78219
Monday Line: SA -5.5 (ESPN Bet)
