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The New York Knicks have now won 12 games in a row in the playoffs, including the NBA Finals. They’ve won by 272 combined points. That margin of victory is the best in a 12-game stretch in NBA history, playoffs or regular season. The Knicks just forgot how to lose, and they stole home court from the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Knicks steal Game 1 behind clutch comeback
The New York Knicks trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, but they did what they’ve always done this playoffs: win anyway. Jalen Brunson was banged up and left the game in the first half, but he returned to hit plenty of clutch shots along the way.
Brunson scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. In total, he scored 30 points, although it required 31 shots to do so. At one point, he was 7/21 from the field, but he closed by going 5/10 the rest of the way and reaching the 30-point mark. He hit an impressive jumpshot in the dwindling moments to seal what ended up as a 10-point road win.
“Jalen, he was the MVP in the second half. He was huge for us,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “(Brunson) did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home. We put the ball in his hands, and he got it done for us down the stretch.”
It is, ironically, a mirror of the Stanley Cup Final happening at the same time. In both, there is the regular-season juggernaut with a far better record (Spurs and Carolina Hurricanes) that has home advantage versus the red-hot team that took advantage of a weakened conference to get there (Knicks and Vegas Golden Knights). In both, the red-hot team won despite falling behind what seemed like a substantial margin at one point.
Spurs lament letting lead slip in crushing loss
This core Spurs roster has really no playoff experience. De’Aaron Fox has been in a handful of postseason games, but otherwise, this is a first for everyone involved. While neither they nor the Knicks have been in the NBA Finals, the Knicks have a lot more postseason experience, and it might’ve showed in Game 1.
They feel as if they let this one slip in many ways. The Spurs are the third team in the last 50 years to lose a Finals game by 10 points or more after having a lead in the final two minutes. They’re the first of those three teams to lose by double-digits in said game. The Knicks closed on an 11-0 run over the final 2:16 to steal Game 1 and home-court advantage from San Antonio.
“It’s almost not like I have anything to figure out. It’s almost like I have to play normal, not even good . It is just doing the right things enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better,” Victor Wembanyama vowed. He put the onus on himself to improve on a disappointing offensive night.
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