Brunson Crushed with 30 Points: Knicks Beat San Antonio 105-95

Game 1, played at San Antonio's Frost Bank Center and starting at 03:30 Turkish time on Thursday morning, was etched in memory as one of the symbolic matches in NBA history. The anatomy of the match presents a dramatic comeback story. The Spurs took the first quarter 27-19 and grasped the advantage early, the second quarter ended 29-28 in favour of the Knicks but a Spurs superiority of 55-48 was reflected at half-time, and the match was heading towards being a "Wembanyama night" as most experts had expected. In addition to the Knicks' 7-point disadvantage in the first half, Jalen Brunson's shots not converting into field goals were a source of concern; the playmaker was quite unproductive in his first-half totals.

The third quarter turned the story around. With 28-21 in favour of the Knicks at the end of this period, the score came to 76-76; even though they were not at Madison Square Garden, New York fans began to raise their voices in front of the television. Thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns's offensive presence leading the comeback, OG Anunoby's critical 3-pointers, and Miles McBride's long-range banked triple seconds before the end of the quarter, the Knicks completely closed the gap from the break. The defensive intensity in this quarter was particularly notable; the Spurs slowed down in attack, Wembanyama began to show a low return like 4/15 in field goals. The third quarter actually formed the backbone of this match; the Knicks managed to disrupt the Spurs' rhythm here and pulled the energy of the court to their side.

The fourth quarter was a full battle. With 7 minutes 37 seconds left, the score was 86-86 and the scoreboard began to pass to both sides. The Knicks went ahead 6 points 92-86 with 6 minutes 34 seconds left; Wembanyama reduced the gap to 5 points with a long range with 4 minutes 48 seconds left and Spurs fans were hopeful again. However, the last minutes were Brunson's night. With about 1 minute left, with a critical 3-pointer coming from the corner, the Knicks took the lead 97-95; then Brunson made it 99-95 with another key hit, Bridges was fouled and the Knicks producing points from free throws reached 101-95. In the last seconds, Brunson carried the match to 105-95 with a high-tempo fall-away shot and locked the scoreboard.

The statistics clearly show the structure of both teams. The Spurs attempted 89 shots, the Knicks 94; in field goal percentage the Knicks established a clear superiority (41% — 36%). The Spurs were ahead 54-49 in total rebounds; this statistic explains Wembanyama's impact, but the Knicks compensated for this deficiency with defensive aggressiveness. In individual performances, although Brunson seemed unsuccessful with 9/24 in field goals, his critical shots in the 4th quarter and 4/4 free throw efficiency made him the star of the match; he stayed on the court for 37 minutes, produced 30 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and +6 plus/minus. Karl-Anthony Towns was a true second star; in 34 minutes he was the player with the highest plus/minus of the match with 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and +14 plus/minus. On the Spurs side, Wembanyama produced an honest double-double (26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 37 minutes), but the -3 plus/minus value reflected the collapse in the 4th quarter.

The series now remains for Friday evening. Game 2 will again be played in San Antonio at Frost Bank Center on Friday June 5 at 19:30 local time. If the Knicks make it 2-0 here, they will completely eliminate the home court advantage and the series will move to Madison Square Garden on Monday June 8 with an overwhelming psychological superiority. About 70% of teams winning Game 1 in NBA Finals history have become champion; this statistic is a clear message in favour of the Knicks. The series, in which 10 of ESPN's 13 experts predicted in favour of the Spurs, entered an unexpected route already in the first match. The Knicks' 11-match winning streak in the playoffs has risen to 12; after sweeping Philadelphia and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference, they maintained the same domination on the final stage as well. Whether the Knicks fans' 53-year championship drought is about to end will become clear; but the atmosphere of Game 1 painted the most promising picture of the last 27 years.

Image: si.com