New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson put on his cape and carried his team to a remarkable 107-106 victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.
The Knicks wiped off a 29-point deficit, including an 18-point fourth quarter lead, to stun the Spurs and take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
After the win, Brunson summed up the Knicks’ comeback — the largest comeback in NBA Finals history — in one word.
“One word that captures all that is believe,” Brunson told ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” after finishing with 36 points, seven assists and three steals.
“Believing in each other. Believing in the process,” he added.
Jalen Brunson Knew Knicks Would Win
As the Knicks were making their comeback, Brunson was never flustered and knew his teammates just had to chip away at the Spurs’ lead and do what they’ve been doing this entire postseason in the fourth quarter — execute down the stretch.
“Chipping away one possession at a time,” he said of New York’s comeback strategy. “It wasn’t going to be one play to get us back or one momentum play, but just hitting singles, getting on base and keep chipping away.”
The superstar guard added that his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, knew the Knicks were winning the game early in the fourth quarter.
“When they got down to like 15, I was looking at pops, and he said, ‘We’re winning this game,’” Brunson revealed. “I was like, ‘Alright.’”
Knicks Take 3-1 NBA Finals Lead
Two-way wing OG Anunoby played just as vital a role in the win, finishing with 33 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-8 from three. Crucially, he made the crucial block down the stretch on De’Aaron Fox and then the tip with 2.1 seconds left. The sequence all but sealed New York’s win on a night when the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart struggled mightily to help Brunson.
Anunoby echoed Jalen Brunson’s sentiments — the Knicks never stopped believing they could pull off the comeback even when down 29 points.
“We know it’s a game of runs,” said Anunoby, via ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
“We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated. Just staying with it, cut down to 18, cut it down to six, push it through. It’s a 48-minute game, just play ’til the end.”
Knicks head coach Mike Brown admitted that the basketball gods were good to his team down the stretch, while referencing the Anunoby tip-in.
“You have to have a little luck in life,” Brown said.
“You’ve got to have a little luck in sports. But you can also make your luck, too. So, you’ve got to have some natural luck and some luck where you’re going to make your own luck, and that was probably the biggest message.”
The Knicks have the opportunity to close out the Spurs in Saturday’s Game 4 and capture their first NBA championship since 1973.
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