The New York Knicks had a dominant run to the title, winning 13 straight games while making numerous double-digit comebacks.
For the first time in a long time, the champions were led by a small guard, Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. Their defense gave the San Antonio Spurs fits — never giving up more than 106 points in their wins, while the Spurs averaged 119.8 points in the regular season.
Let’s review the tape on what got them to the mountaintop.
Jalen Brunson’s Masterclass Performances
Brunson scored 45 points — the third most in a closeout win in the Finals. The team captain came up clutch in the Knicks’ comeback and also countered the Spurs’ overextended defense.
In Game 4, Brunson scored a clutch basket that gave the Knicks the lead to finally climb out of a 29-point hole.
Once Brunson gets Stephon Castle’s hips to flip, Castle is at his mercy. The former Villanova product is in the lane and puts up a floater that gets a soft roll.
Brunson was incredible in isolation plays. He gets funneled to the middle of the floor on this drive.
He took what the defense gave him and touched the paint. While he can’t shake off Victor Wembanyama on a ball fake, he leans in to flip a shot before the contest.
One of the counters the 29-year-old had was beating the Spurs’ overextended defense — when the on-ball defender starts to guard at halfcourt.
Here, De’Aaron Fox picks up Brunson three-quarters of the way up the floor:
One subtle dribble to get around Fox gets Brunson to drive aggressively and step foot into the paint. From there, Brunson doesn’t overpenetrate because he sees Wembanyama. Then, the three-time All-Star pulls up right at his spot for a jumper.
Here’s Brunson snagging another clutch basket and beating the Spurs’ overextended defense:
Castle opening up his hips allows Brunson to blow by him. Again, Brunson steps into the paint and stops for a floater to avoid Wembanyama’s challenge.
Brunson had answers and counters that resulted in clutch shot-making throughout the series.
Knicks’ Defense Had the Spurs in a Blender
Mike Brown and the Knicks’ coaching staff deserve their flowers for matching up with the Spurs’ offense. They had answers to the Spurs’ variations for off-ball screens and also protected the rim by going vertical on drives.
When it’s two-on-two on one side of the floor, the Spurs love having a screener for Wembanyama that allows him to get downhill on the catch. But the Knicks had no problems guarding that action.
In the above play, Mitchell Robinson sees the screen coming and jams Wembanyama to stay attached to him. He lets go of Wembanyama to give him that freedom of movement. Robinson deflects the ball, turning it into a broken play. Now the Spurs don’t get what they want from their initial set.
Fox puts up a corner three that is off the mark, and the Knicks stop one of the toughest sets to guard.
The Spurs go with Wembanyama as the on-ball screener on the empty side here:
Mikal Bridges and Robinson play this well. It’s not a true switch — Bridges cracks back to take Wembanyama’s roll, and Robinson goes to contain the ball. Bridges immediately puts his body on Wembanyama to box out while the shot is off the mark.
The Knicks were also impressive when going vertical without fouling offensive players at the basket, like during this play.
While Karl-Anthony Towns committed at least four fouls in all five Finals games, he had a mix of great moments protecting the cup and guarding Wembanyama without the whistle being blown on him.
First, the Knicks present drop coverage — Towns is dropping back to the rim. The Spurs gain no advantage and quickly reset.
On a guard-to-guard screen, Knicks show and recover with Brunson — he must stop the ball for a beat to give Josh Hart time to get back before returning to his man.
While Hart ends up behind the play, Towns reads and reacts. Castle enters the lane, but Towns goes vertical to force a wild shot, and the Knicks get a critical stop. Towns changed Castle’s shot into an uncomfortable hanging shot from a few feet out.
Watch this outstanding Knicks defense fly:
Devin Vassell blows by Brunson, but Bridges peel switches — where the nearest help defender takes the ball and the initial on-ball defender switches with him. Bridges forces Vassell into a dribble pickup and a pass in mid-air.
As the ball swings, unfortunately, it becomes bad tape for Brunson as he gets beaten off the dribble again for the second time in one possession. But Hart, as the low man — the defender closest to the baseline and furthest away from the ball — reacts to Keldon Johnson’s dribble penetration. Hart plays it beautifully, goes vertical, and Johnson can’t find an angle to lay it in.
The Knicks finish the possession with stellar defense. They don’t get the initial rebound but watch Towns. On the tip, Towns sees that there’s no chance of him grabbing the board being on the other side of the rim. He stays down, waits for Johnson to gather the ball before jumping and contesting him for another missed shot below the rim.
Final Thoughts
The Knicks had one of the most unique runs to the title, winning clutch games, dominating with comeback wins that led to 13 straight postseason wins. Brunson became the first lead small guard to lead his team to the championship, while Towns quieted down the question marks of his defensive abilities.
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