The Knicks in Four (It Can Happen)

Jalen Brunson had a thirty point game but played in lackluster fashion. But the Knicks pulled through anyhow. He had a few injuries regarding his knee and ankle. This is a team sport however.

Karl-Anthony Towns helped to get the Knicks out of a double digit deficit. Even with lowered quality on the court, New York still showed themselves to be the main contender in the battle for the first game. Seventy percent of teams who won the first game in the Finals have won the championship.

This should be an excellent series with dramatic turns and agony and euphoria.

The Spurs are the youngest team on average to play in a championship series. With Wembanyama, he is a serious threat to the outcome of the Knicks win. He played well but not as great to keep up with the Knickerbockers. He had a double double but couldn’t solidify a victory with the rest of San Antonio.

Brunson even admitted they had to trudge in instead of glide through Game One. In the next few hours, they will look at tape and run drills and double down on the fantastic performance they display on both sides of the court, especially defense.

The best parts of the game actually came when Brunson took the team on his back and dropped huge three-pointers. He scored 13 points with a 5 out of nine shooting effort. The supporting cast also showed glimpses of greatness as players like Goguga Anunoby pushed through the snares and contributed as well.

If the Knicks get in their bag, they should be able to pull away from the Spurs and win by twenty or thirty points. It’s amazing to watch. The first two quarters seem like a simmering of a pot; the Knicks pick up steam and unlike most teams, never lose it.

The timing is so powerful that they continue to fight despite being down by multiple points and by the end of the night, they come away with the victory. This has been a splendor to witness the Knicks do back to back sweeps. If they can focus and train their efforts on the idea of selfish ballplay, they’ve got a chance.

But they've got to put in the work. They’ve got to do what Brunson said and work on the “Xs and Os.”

That’s the most important component in all of this: the strategy. The way they set up plays and force their opponents to never be able to blow out the Knicks and win is refreshing and enlightening. The read is that the Knicks just have to remain healthy. Those scares early on with Brunson going back to the locker room became as tense moments from a Stephen King plot.

Instead of moping and whining, Brunson responded to the press saying they’ve just have to work together better and go by the plays.

Hart got into foul trouble in the beginning moments of the game and that scared fans. Supporters just took it all in stride and looked at the scene and expected him to be more cautious.

It still is possible (as of this writing) for the Knicks to go 4 and 0 in this series. As long as KAT, Hart, and Brunson can further forge a bond they’ve been working on all season, this is the way they can evolve and thrive.

In reality, the Spurs will be a formidable foe. But the Knicks will prevail and win the series if they can find a way to make a run for a win. That clicking status they have may allow them to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.