Why You Care: Before the NBA Finals started, if you told me the Knicks were sending the series back to the Garden with a 2-0 series lead, I would've assumed their leading scorer from the regular season was leading that charge. But that hasn't been the case β Brunson had his worst shooting performance of the playoffs in Game 2, and the series opener he shot lower from the field (38.7%) than in all but two games this postseason. Granted, his 13-point outburst in the fourth quarter of Game 1 came at the right time. Still, it's amazing for this team to be up two games with its most proven scorer struggling so much.
Throw in Josh Hartβs lack of contributions on the offensive end of the court (he managed three points in Game 1 and was scoreless in Game 2) and the fact that the Spurs employ unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama, and itβs even more amazing New York is in such control of this series.
Karl-Anthony Towns has given Wemby fits by dragging the Frenchman out to the three-point line and barreling down the lane on pick-and-rolls with Brunson, but OG Anunoby has really been the x-factor for Mike Brown in this series. Anunoby has proven to be a bit of a closer; he combined for 12 points in the first halves of Games 1 and 2, but netted 12 and 10 points in the back halves of those games. Itβs been that scoring depth that has kept the first two games close enough so that Brunson had time to find his shot, providing fourth quarter heroics to seal the two victories.
As much as Mike Brown would love to see Brunson drop 40 points at home tonight, it's that lack of reliance on one player that's serving the Knicks well in contrast to the Spurs. Think back to the last 20 seconds of Game 2 β Wembanyama guarded Jalen Brunson and forced a missed shot, grabbed the rebound, and started the fast break. (He then threw a bad pass, although Stephon Castle could've looked back for the ball?) Wemby also took the final shot of the game, a clean look he should've made count. Point being, San Antonio needs one of its secondary options to do some more heavy lifting like the Knicks' lineup has done. Landry Shamet scoring 13 points in back-to-back Finals games is pretty shocking, but it's the perfect illustration of how the Knicks have attacked from every angle so far.
A big game from Jalen Brunson? It would be nice, but it also feels like a luxury more than a necessity. |
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