The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals. For the first time in 27 years, since the lockout run of 1999, Madison Square Garden gets to host the biggest stage in basketball. And the man who carried them there is Jalen Brunson.
Brunson was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight. He averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists in the series while shooting 48.7 percent. He capped it off with 16 points in a 130-93 Game 4 demolition that was over by halftime.
This is what stars do. The Knicks won 11 straight games on the way to the Finals, and Brunson was the constant through all of it.
The Doubters Got Quiet Fast
There was no shortage of people who said Brunson was too small to be the best player on a Finals team. Becky Hammon doubled down on her small-player take even as he was busy sweeping the Cavs. The basketball world spent two years debating whether a 6-foot-2 guard could lead a real contender.
He just answered the question with a Larry Bird Trophy and a trip to the Finals. The size talk can stop now. Brunson plays bigger than his measurements because of his footwork, his patience, and a level of toughness that the Knicks have lacked for a generation.
New York did not back into this. They steamrolled a Cleveland team that had real expectations, and they did it in four games. That is a statement, not a fluke.
What Awaits in the Finals
The Knicks will face the winner of the Western Conference Finals, where the Thunder and Spurs are headed to a Game 7 on Saturday. Either opponent is dangerous. Oklahoma City has the reigning MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and San Antonio has the most terrifying young player in the league in Victor Wembanyama.
Vegas already expects the Knicks to open as underdogs against either team. That is fine. This New York group has spent the whole postseason being doubted and has answered every time.
The Finals begin June 3. For a fan base that has suffered through decades of dysfunction, false dawns, and heartbreak, this is the moment they have been begging for.
Brunson took a franchise that was a punchline and turned it into a Finals team. Whatever happens next, he already gave New York something it has not had since the Clinton administration. A real shot at a title.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
