Brunson's legendary performance: returning like a king after two injuries

In the first game of the Finals, the Spurs lost to the Knicks. Before today, the Spurs had never lost the opening game in six Finals appearances, but today they ran into Brunson.

When Brunson hit that unbelievable game-winning mid-range shot with 37 seconds left, all I could think was how could anyone be this tough. He faked a shot to shake Vassell off balance, then bumped into Vassell (with a hint of drawing a foul, but the ref didn't call it), lost his own balance as he fell, and released the ball — it swished through the net cleanly.

After making the shot, he immediately pointed at the baseline referee, thinking it should be an and-one. At that moment, the Knicks were up by 6, and Brunson's basket sealed the victory. Just over a minute earlier, the Knicks had been down by 1 point, and Brunson hit a crucial three-pointer to take the lead. And those 5 points were just a small part of Brunson's performance in this game.

The game started with the Knicks in control, hitting threes early while the Spurs were cold. But Harper came off the bench and scored 10 points in 6 minutes, leading the Spurs to a comeback. This was Harper's first Finals appearance, and he didn't need a single second to adjust — he dominated right away. A top-tier player turned into an elite one on the biggest stage.

Brunson hit a three on his first shot, then proceeded to miss the next six. Worse than that, he banged his right knee on a teammate's screen and hyperextended it — the kind of play that often leads to serious injury. Brunson went back to the locker room for evaluation, then returned to the bench. The team doctor tried a brace on him, but when Brunson came back on the court, he wasn't wearing it.

His bad luck continued. On a drive to the basket, Brunson was pushed by Vassell and fell, with no foul called. As he went down, Kornet stepped on his left ankle, and Brunson let out a painful scream.

At this point, Brunson had a bruised right knee and a stepped-on left ankle — both legs hurt. But his comeback moment was just beginning. After getting injured, Brunson made three straight shots, and the Knicks briefly took the lead. However, Champagnie of the Spurs hit 5 of 6 three-pointers in the first half, helping San Antonio build an advantage.

In the third quarter, the Knicks fell behind by as many as 14 points — their largest deficit of the game. But after that, they牢牢控制住了比赛. Towns was the MVP of the third quarter, with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in the period. His interior scoring, rebounding protection, and playmaking changed the momentum.

The Knicks erased that 14-point deficit in just 6 minutes — a scene all too familiar to the Cavaliers, who collapsed the same way in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks' three-point shooting warmed up, while the Spurs' went cold, and the game was tied heading into the fourth quarter.

After tying it at 86, Brunson exploded again, scoring 8 straight points and blowing past every Spurs defender. In the fourth quarter, Brunson scored 13 points, while the entire Spurs team managed only 19. Though Wembanyama had a brief outburst in the middle, Brunson's final two baskets sealed the game.

For the entire game, Brunson shot 12-of-31 from the field — not good, even poor by any standard. 30 points on 31 shots is usually not an efficient performance, but Brunson is that kind of player: he can carry a huge offensive load, keep the Knicks' offense flowing, and take over when his team needs scoring most.

If the Knicks had lost this game, you could easily say they lost because of Brunson's inefficiency. But they won, and they owed it to Brunson's clutch plays. That's his style — win or lose, it all rests on him, and he always hits those big shots.

Of course, the Knicks are never just Brunson's team. He handles a lot of offensive possessions, but he's not a Luka-like heliocentric player; the Knicks still play very collectively. Towns' importance in this Finals series is no less than Brunson's — his defense on Wembanyama and his ability to pull Wembanyama away from the basket on offense are crucial.

Don't forget Shamet's 3-of-6 three-point shooting today (who said he'd always choke in the Finals?), McBride's two threes, and every rebound Mitchell Robinson protected when he was on the floor. Hart didn't make any threes, but he had the highest plus-minus of the game, along with 15 rebounds and 6 assists, plus 3 steals in the fourth quarter.

Brunson's performance today was indeed incredible, but the Knicks' road victory and their 12-game playoff winning streak rely on everyone's effort. Brunson has his ceiling, but this Knicks team can keep raising theirs.

Wembanyama is still a monster whose defensive coverage spans half the court, but he's human too. His stamina inevitably declines with constant help defense, and in the second half, the Knicks waited for him to run out of gas.

The Knicks will maintain their strategy throughout this series of keeping Wembanyama away from the basket, both offensively and defensively. Wembanyama had a poor offensive night: 6-of-21 from the field, 2-of-9 from three, 12-of-13 from the line, finishing with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

In the final minute of the game, he hit his own foot while changing direction on a dribble, and then came Brunson's game-winning mid-range shot mentioned at the start. Fox really had a terrible game today, but Wembanyama's late turnover was equally costly.

Welcome to a new challenge for the Spurs. The Knicks might be an even stronger opponent than the Thunder; just look at Towns — his impact is greater than Chet + Hartenstein combined. This was Towns' first Finals game, and his postgame words almost made me cry. He said:

“I don't know why, but I feel very calm and at peace inside right now. I think that peace must come from my mother up in heaven. This game felt like being a kid again — stepping onto the court and just feeling pure joy.

When I was little, my dream was just to make it to the NBA, let alone play in the Finals. Today felt like I was getting ready for an AAU game as a kid. In a daze, I felt like I saw my mother in the stands, and that made me feel so comfortable and at ease. Game 1 of the Finals should have been stressful, but I didn't feel any of it at all.”

Dear Kat, keep going — your mother is definitely watching from above.