The New York Knicks have won their first NBA championship since 1973. That 53-year wait has defined the culture of a diehard fan base that never gives up on their team. Those fans showed up in arenas around the country, in every away game of these playoffs. They flooded the arena in San Antonio, to support their team and to be present for the historic win.
This Knicks team has inspired love and devotion on a level beyond all expectations. There are many reasons for that: One is the way they win. The Nova Knicks’ style of play is studious, hard-working, no-nonsense, and crafty. Team Captain Jalen Brunson sets the tone. As he recently said when asked if it seems hopeless when trailing by 29 points:
You are allowed to think about the worst-case scenario, but you have to do something about it.
Asked about being consistently discounted, Brunson said people make the mistake of valuing everything that isn’t heart. The 6’2″ point guard fearlessly went straight at the league’s defender of the year, 15 inches taller than him, and scored by inventing moves and shots that can’t be predicted.
When the Knicks say they work to “find a way”, they aren’t talking about luck or guesses, or a hit and miss approach; they are talking about solving problems.
The Knicks play like it matters.
It matters how you play… that you learn from mistakes… that you share and create opportunities for your teammates… that you put in an honest effort, always… that you respect the sport, the rules, the fans, and what it means to be inspired or to be an inspiration… that you remember your roots and your journey… that you treat the pressure of competition as something sacred, not a burden or an annoyance…
It matters that you always keep trying, and have the humility to keep growing.
The last championship took place in the 3rd quarter of the 20th century. We are in the 2nd quarter of the 21st. The weight of all those decades adds gravity to each basket, to value of each player’s contribution, and to the hope generations of fans are learning to be comfortable with.
Tonight’s game started with a flood of Knicks fans making their presence known and cheering for their team. People are traveling for this team, investing to be part of this team’s historic run. It is because it matters how you play.
Defense dominated the first few minutes. Both teams wanted to make sure they didn’t give anything away.
The Knicks changed the dynamic in the second quarter, making ther Spurs fight for every basket, and using their creative understanding of the flow of play to keep the ball moving their way. By the end of the first half, the Knicks had scored fewer than 40 points, but trailed by only 5. Their defense was succeeding, and that was setting the stage for winning in the end.
By the end of the game, the Spurs were fighting to stay in the game.
Jalen Brunson carried the Knicks, hitting his 43rd point to give the Knicks their 86th—half the points for the team. His 45 points were the most points ever scored by a Knicks player in an NBA Finals game. Only the great Michael Jordan has scored as many in an NBA Championship close-out game.
And yet, as always, Brunson’s brilliance was intertwined with an excellent display of teamwork.
The Captain does not achieve record scoring figures on his own; he achieves it by motivating and organizing his teammates to each do as much as they can to make the team a success; his leadership and their trust puts him in position to do what he does.
He is loved not only for his heart, his grit, his inventiveness, and his fearlessness. He is loved for building this team. Brunson took a $100 million pay cut so the organization could invest in the best possible team. Teamwork is the engine.
The Nova guys—Brunson, Hart, and Bridges—are now the first trio of teammates to win both the NCAA National Championship and the NBA Finals.
In each of their NBA Finals wins, the Knicks overcame significant deficits: In Game 1, at Madison Square Garden, they trailed by 14 with 6:31 left in the 3rd quarter. In Game 2, they trailed by 14 with 5:59 left in the 4th quarter. In Game 4, they trailed by 20 with 9:33 left in the 4th. In Game 5, before clinching the title. the Knicks trailed by 10 with 7:43 left in the 4th.
The Knicks have shown that careful hard work, character, and ingenuity, all within the straightforward rules of the game, allow an exemplary group of teammates to become champions.
That better way, that display of solidarity, is what millions have needed for a long time. That is why it is frequently said this team is bigger than basketball.
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