NBA Finals: The Dogfight

Hear it here!

 

So here I was, watching the last six minutes or so, of the game that decided the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. And then it hit me.

After all the prelims setting up this championship series, the Spurs taking the last two games against Oklahoma City, including the seventh winner-take-all battle on the Thunder home court for the Western crown.

And the Knicks, in the East who destroyed everybody in their sight by huge margins, even coming from behind by 22 in the fourth quarter in one game, never suffering any kind of a letdown. Which is rare.

A Knicks-Spurs showdown. San Antonio with the home court advantage. You know what that means. Not much, because the team that plays better wins no matter where they play.

And as the fifth game, in San Antonio, was winding down and the Knicks were out to win their first title in 53 years, what was transpiring was of no surprise.

The Spurs, who were the favorites for the series, were no match for the New Yorkers who were so much the better team. Yes, the series, won by the Knicks 4 games to 1, was a dogfight on the court. Yes, the games themselves were competitive, with scrappy play, difficult and quick passes setting up open shooters who were not open for long. Marvelous defensive plays, with big bodies moving with amazing agility and speed. The action was sensational. It was the best of the NBA I’d seen in years. But with all of the back and forth and struggles to gain the upper hand, the Knicks were superior. And it was never more apparent than in the final six minutes of the last game of the series.

The Knicks showed their experience, determination, poise,  and will when it counted, while the Spurs displayed their lack of experience, lack of patience, erratic shooting and mostly lack of smart decision-making when it meant the most.

Since, as the great Celtics legend Red Auerbach once said, “it’s not solitaire out there”, the Knicks had a lot to say about how the Spurs performed.

Throughout the series the pattern was the same, with the exception of one game.

San Antonio came out blazing, making nearly every shot they attempted, and did all the right things in taking halftime leads. But they eventually wilted, ultimately missing shots, settling for long-range attempts as the game wore on, while the New Yorkers settled down, tightened up their defense, and focused on finishing. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, since the Spurs starting lineup was the youngest ever in the history of the NBA Finals.

Their leading player, 7-foot 5-inch Victor Wembanyana, was the youngest at 22. He exhibited the incredible and versatile skills he has brought to the game and staying healthy will continue to do so. The sky’s the limit as to how good he can become.

But Wembanyana also was the poster boy for the “immaturity” the team could not hide.

He’s only 22 of course and incredibly talented, but he has to harness some of the physical play he shows on the court and his penchant for having too much to say both on and off the court.

Wemby could have drawn at least one flagrant foul which would have made him ineligible for a sixth game, if there had been one, and will have to beware of teams setting him up for poor judgments moving forward. His refusal to acknowledge the winning Knicks by quickly walking off the court after the game spoke to his rudeness as a professional. Hopefully he’ll learn.

But make no mistake, the San Antonio Spurs will be heard from, as if they haven’t already established a dynasty in past years.
For the Knicks, it was a monumental moment. And it was led by a player who had been underestimated from the start of his pro career. Jalen Brunson became one of the most unlikely super stars ever to dominate the league championship round. Only 6’2”, and without the obvious skills of the great names of the sport, Brunson proved to be the heart and soul of the victors.

It’s probably not necessary to point out that it takes so much more than one person to make a winning team go, but sooner or later it becomes that one guy who steadies the ship, makes the timely play even if it’s not spectacular, and produces in a big way to make the ultimate difference.

Brunson scored 45 points in the fifth and deciding game, but don’t go away saying he was simply the dominant scorer. He was more than that, as he displayed every game. His ability to draw fouls, get open for shots, find open teammates, defend, and know the basketball court like a chess master, plus his quiet confidence, and assurance to teammates at the right time provided the formula for the Knicks to take command as the games came down to the wire. The Knicks refused to disappear, even in the game they trailed by 29 points in the second half.

Brunson, who was coached by the brilliant Jay Wright in winning national championships at Villanova was asked what the pro scouts missed in his being drafted 33rd back in 2018.

He replied, “everything”.  And that precisely was what he gave the Knicks who had suffered through decades of misery for their failures on the court, and in the front office.

No one could have been more proud than Jalen’s dad, Rick, a Knick assistant coach.

It all hit me as I watched the final minutes of the 5th and final game.

The NBA Finals this year only lasted five games. Normally that kind of series would be forgettable.

Not this one by a long shot.

 

Champs at last

Wemby’s only 22

Brunson comes up Big