The New York Knicks had every reason to accept defeat and get ready for the next one on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks seemed to be stuck in mud for the majority of the night, with Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart all having cold shooting nights.
Instead, the Knicks battled back from a 14-point second half deficit and made several clutch plays down the stretch to steal Game 1 and home-court advantage in the Finals right off the bat, and continued their utterly dominant playoff run in the process.
If such a thing as a “team of destiny” exists, these Knicks would certainly appear to fit the bill. Since falling behind 2-1 in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks have rattled off 12 straight wins, 11 of which have come by double figures, and are now just three wins away from winning their first championship in 53 years.
On Wednesday, Brunson came up hobbled on two separate occasions in the first half, and generally struggled to find the range from the perimeter, going 12-31 overall and just 2-9 from three. However, in crunch time, the former Clutch Player of the Year made the plays his team needed him to, wiggling into the paint for some tough finishes at the rim and putting the game on ice with an insanely difficult fallaway over Devin Vassell.
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The fact that the Knicks were able to win this game with Hart and Mikal Bridges combining for just 12 points certainly bodes well for them going forward.
Of course, the Spurs didn't play their best game either, as Victor Wembanyama struggled in his first experience on the NBA Finals stage, and San Antonio showed some signs of fatigue from their seven-game war with the Oklahoma City Thunder down the stretch. The Spurs have been down in their last two series and rallied back to win, so they certainly won't be panicking after Game 1.
Still, for a Knicks team that hasn't lost in well over a month, the Game 1 victory has to feel like another step closer to destiny.
The New York Knicks had every reason to accept defeat and get ready for the next one on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks seemed to be stuck in mud for the majority of the night, with Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart all having cold shooting nights.