The New York Knicks are one win away from taking home their first NBA Championship since 1973, and, now seen as heavy minus-500 favorites, many are already discussing who could be tabbed as the club's Finals MVP.
Excitingly enough, there is no shortage of individuals who are in the running for the illustrious honor. From Karl-Anthony Towns and his incredibly consistent efforts throughout the series to OG Anunoby following his masterful heroics in Game 4, the list of worthy recipients is quite extensive.
However, when it comes to the most impactful Knicks in this title-round matchup against the Spurs, there's a strong case to be made that no one has been more vital to the club's success than head coach Mike Brown.
Mike Brown proving to be the real MVP of this New York Knicks team
After enduring a ton of both highs and lows throughout the campaign, it's clear that, here on the biggest stage and under the brightest lights, New York's first-year headman has come away from his turbulent regular season with the utmost confidence in his ability to properly lead the charge.
Said confidence has allowed him the opportunity to think outside the box when it comes to his lineup configurations.
Obviously, the starting five of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns has remained intact, but Brown has not shied away from experimentation if and when his Knicks have needed a bit of a spark.
The results of have been absolutely stunning.
Examples of his on-court innovations are truly a dime a dozen.
Be it in the form of holding Brunson and Towns on the sidelines and running with Bridges as New York's go-to offensive focal point for a large chunk of the third period of Game 2 or letting Jose Alvarado log extensive minutes during crunch time in Wednesday's miraculous Game 4 comeback, Brown's rather risky decision-making has managed to pay off in remarkable ways.
Frankly, it's easy to point to the players duking it out on the hardwood and crediting them the most for a team's epic triumphs -- after all, they're the ones executing.
However, zoom out just a tad, and you'll find that, in order for them to execute at this kind of level, the right kind of leader needs to be properly and effectively calling the shots.
Brown might not have received a ton of love from the fanbase and media throughout his first year in the Big Apple (admittedly, I, too, was reluctant to dish out credit), but if the Knicks wind up winning this year's NBA Finals, without question, he will deserve recognition as being one of, if not the most influential figures for them having achieved such a goal.
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