While Jalen Brunson has been the star of the New York Knicks’ magical playoff run, there’s a legitimate argument that Karl-Anthony Towns has been their most valuable and indispensable piece.
Through 16 playoff games thus far, Towns is a +239 on the floor across 491 minutes, leading not just the Knicks, but the entire NBA in the category. The sharpshooting big man is just another +6 stat line away from eclipsing Stephen Curry’s all-time plus/minus record in a single NBA postseason.
In 2017, when the Warriors went a record 15-1 en route to the championship, Curry finished with a plus/minus of +245, setting a new playoff benchmark. That year, the Warriors also set a record by winning 15 straight playoff games before dropping Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can Knicks Equal Warriors Record?
Incidentally, KAT and the Knicks have won 13 consecutive games, trailing only the 2017 Warriors for the longest winning streak in a single postseason.
If the Knicks can sweep the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, they will equal the 2017 Warriors’ record, establishing their run as one of the greatest in playoff history. Along the way, Towns is almost a lock to eclipse Curry’s record, given how dominant he has been against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
Through the first two NBA Finals games, Towns (+25) leads players from both teams in plus/minus by a wide margin. He’s followed by Josh Hart (+19) and Mikal Bridges (+18), while Wemby (+3), his primary matchup, has been vastly inferior.
KAT for NBA Finals MVP?
Towns’ sheer dominance of Wembanyama — on both ends of the floor — has led many analysts to anoint him as the early favorite to win NBA Finals MVP.
“The MVP of the Finals is gonna be Karl-Anthony Towns,” Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said after the Knicks claimed a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
“He has played two of the best games I’ve ever seen a big man play. He was great in Game 1, he was great in Game 2. That man earned his flowers.”
Shaquille O’Neal, a harsh critic of Towns in the past, also gave the Knicks star his flowers for rising to the occasion in the playoffs.
“He’s playing with pace. He’s playing smart. [Towns is] playing inside and playing outside. He’s controlling the offense with his passing at times. Listen, he’s just playing unbelievable basketball right now,” Shaq said.
“And I agree with you. At the end of the day, he would definitely be the Most Valuable Player.”
Towns and the Knicks are 1.5-point betting favorites to claim a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals on Monday. No team has rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, let alone the Finals. As such, the Knicks could be on the brink of capturing their first NBA championship since 1973.
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