Considering how long the New York Knicks were the laughingstock of the NBA due to poor management, it can be surreal to think that they're only three wins away from winning their third championship in franchise history after earning a 105-95 win in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals vs. the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks overturned a 14-point deficit in the second half, and they managed to right the ship after the Spurs regained the lead late in the fourth, going on an 11-0 spurt to seal the deal.
It was Jalen Brunson, as expected, who came up huge for the Knicks in the final frame. He scored 13 points in the period, including 11 straight points at one point, coming alive after an injury scare seemed to limit him in the first half. For good measure, he also drilled the dagger of the night — a ridiculously difficult fadeaway to push the lead to an insurmountable six points.
Brunson is the Knicks' captain for a reason, and it cannot be overstated just how important of a player he's been for the team over his four seasons thus far in New York. He instills so much confidence in his teammates that Karl-Anthony Towns just knew that he'll find a way to get the job done in the end — and he did.
“When the ball is in his hands, I'm never surprised. I'll tell you, that last shot, that was nasty. I ain't gonna lie,” Towns said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter).
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"When the ball is in his hands, I'm never surprised."
Karl-Anthony Towns speaks on Jalen Brunson and his ability to constantly show up in the clutch 🗣️
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/iRLjmVUWiC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 4, 2026
That is a characteristic that only all-time greats have. They can calm down a team in the face of adversity, and the Knicks certainly played with the kind of composure one would expect from a very battle-tested squad. And it's thanks in large part to Brunson, who finished the night with 30 points on 12-31 shooting from the field, that they're now closer than ever to winning it all.
Considering how long the New York Knicks were the laughingstock of the NBA due to poor management, it can be surreal to think that they're only three wins away from winning their third championship in franchise history after earning a 105-95 win in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals vs. the San Antonio Spurs.