There are myriad factors behind New York Knicks' playoff run thus far, such as Karl-Anthony Towns' playmaking remontada or OG Anunoby's miracle tip-in. But offensive engine Jalen Brunson, known lovingly as Captain Clutch, has arguably been the team's best player all along.
In recent years, the Knicks' identity could have been summed up with simple clips of Brunson buckets (and Josh Hart offensive rebounds) late in games. Now, even with their overall play as a team proving second to none, Brunson hasn't even needed to play in the fourth quarters of elimination games.
The Knicks are blowing teams out of the water in those situations, boasting a triplet of 30-point closeout victories in just this postseason. They've truly beaten their opponents into submission, which the San Antonio Spurs are a prime candidate for after blowing a 29-point lead instead of tying the series.
If that's how the Knicks close things out, fans would likely rather give each player on the roster a Finals MVP of their own. But, for this series, would they see Towns or Anunoby be rewarded as the most valuable player in the NBA's most valuable series?
It's a champagne problem, but the Knicks fought to earn it
The Knicks have set NBA records with their margins of victory in closeout games, finishing off the seasons of three separate opponents with 30+ point leads. If they do it again, they won't need "Captain Clutch" to save the day.
The team fell down two games to one in the first round, with the Atlanta Hawks looking primed to repeat the 2021 playoff series (just without its main character). They bounced back.
The Eastern Conference Finals effectively ended when they opened with a 22-point Knicks comeback victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They won two close games on the road to start the NBA Finals. Fans can even look back to last year's pair of 20-point comeback wins over the Boston Celtics to support their case.
So with a 3-1 NBA Finals lead over the San Antonio Spurs, it's impossible not to think of the kind of punishment the Knicks might be plotting on doling out after the biggest comeback in series history.
More importantly, though, their 53-year title drought would be over. But that's exactly why the Knicks simply need to take care of business, instead of trying to help any specific individual rack up statistics or winning by a record-setting amount.
Each of the first four games of these NBA Finals has been close. Maybe one of them has to be a blowout at some point, but that rule isn't anywhere easy to find in the CBA. Whether it's Brunson getting robbed of Finals MVP or the 30-point closeout streak ending, the two seem mutually exclusive.
The trade-off, of course, is a Larry O'Brien NBA Championship trophy. That seems mutually worth it, for everyone on the roster.
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