by It’s been a lifetime without much hardware for some of the most passionate fans in the U.S. However, last week, that changed. In an article published by ESPN on April 18th – just before the playoffs – the Knicks’ odds to win the NBA Finals was 6th in the NBA at +1800. They had yet to make it back to the Finals since the turn of the century. Having previously been stifled in 2 consecutive years by the Indiana Pacers, them being out of the picture in 2026 was certainly a relief.
However, this would still not be an easy run for New York, right? Wrong. The Knicks went to defy all expectations by showcasing one of the most dominant runs in playoff history. New York went 16-3 in the playoffs in its entirety and in the middle two rounds won dominantly on a consistent basis. This is not typically how New York wins. Both this year – with Mike Brown – and last year – with Tom Thibodeau – the Knicks had a heavy reliance on being good in the clutch. With the best clutch player in the league on your side in Jalen Brunson, that task becomes quite a bit easier.
The “typical Knicks game” involves them staying in the game, but usually being behind going into the 4th quarter. That is when the ‘Brunson Burner’ is lit. The ball is given to Brunson and he creates any shot he wants. This could best be displayed in him scoring 11-straight 4th quarter points in Game 1 of the Finals, scoring the final 3 points to tie and win the game in Game 2, & having almost half the Knicks points when dropping a 45-bomb – and having 15 in the 4th – in a championship-clinching Game 5 victory.
While being one of the “clutch-est” players in playoffs, Brunson shot only 42.1% from the floor and was usually hunted on the defensive side of the ball. Additional contributions from the Knicks other players were also always necessary. Karl-Anthony Towns’ rebounding and surprisingly-good defense, OG Anunoby’s timely shot-making and crucial Game 4 game-winner to cap off the greatest finals comeback in NBA History, Josh Hart’s rebounding, passing and dirty-work success, & Mikal Bridges being a key glue guy and great defender all aided the all-around New York squad in their pursuit of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
All in all, like em’ or not, the New York Knicks accomplished what they set out to do when building this team. A championship. And no matter how many KAT offensive fouls there were, how many first round picks NY gave up for Mikal, and how many times Brunson got taken advantage of on defense, one of the most diverse teams in the modern era stamped their place in history.
