Brunson Knicks Can Win 1973 Title With Game 5 Victory
brunson knicks are one win from their first NBA championship since 1973, and Jalen Brunson said Friday that the edge comes from not fearing failure. The Knicks can finish the job in Game 5 on Saturday night at the Spurs’ home floor if they handle the moment again.
Brunson At Frost Bank Center
Brunson spoke Friday at Frost Bank Center and put the focus on process, not celebration. “I think the one thing that stays constant is I’ve always told myself, and always been taught by my parents, ‘Never be afraid to fail,’” he said.
He added that the work done away from the lights prepares a player for the pressure that comes with the lights on. “You put yourself in those positions in the summertime when you’re envisioning what’s going on the court, when you’re by yourself on the court … When those opportunities come about, you’re not afraid of the moment because you worked hard enough to where if you do fail, you’re going to learn anyway. You put the confidence you have in everything you do when the lights aren’t on, when no one’s watching.”
Game 4 Keeps Driving The Series
Brunson’s Game 4 line is still carrying the series. He scored 36 points and had seven assists in the Knicks’ historic comeback, and he has averaged 29.5 points per game while shooting 39.6% from the field across the series.
That production has come with a warning attached. Brunson said the Knicks still have work to do after the win, and he did not treat Game 4 as a finish line. “Yes, we won [Game 4], but we still have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to learn. We didn’t play our best basketball. We still have a lot to revisit to make sure that we don’t really put ourselves in that position again.”
Spurs Floor, Knicks Pressure
The setting raises the stakes without changing the task. The Knicks can clinch the championship on Saturday night, ending a drought that has lasted since 1973, but they have to do it on the Spurs’ home floor.
There are smaller edges around the series too. The Knicks are 10-0 in the last 10 games Scott Foster has officiated, and the Spurs restricted ticket purchases to buyers within a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center. Even with those details in the background, the series still runs through Brunson, whose next night can either extend New York’s run or close it with a title.
