People said Brunson wasn’t worth the risk. They said Brunson could never be the leader of a championship team. Well, he is, and he plays on a team composed of players whom many people deep-sixed and never gave the respect they deserve. Until now….
Never underestimate the awesome power of a sports moment, even in a time when events can lose their allure as fast as taking the first bite of the best pasta you’ve ever had.
But what happened in the wee hours of June 11, 2026, wasn’t just “a sports moment,” it was nothing short of a sports miracle. And it happened at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the pinnacle of historic basketball.
Coming back from a 29-point deficit and with mere seconds left in the game, the New York Knicks did something that 20 years from now, people may still be reveling about it over half-filled coffees and postmarked magazine covers. In that moment, OG Anunoby (a solid player, but certainly not the best player on the court that night) etched his name in basketball lore. What he did in that split-second was a value-added moment in sports history. He increased Jalen Brunson’s status as a basketball legend. He made Mike Brown look Steve Kerr-like.
Alot of things went right for the Knicks, and equally, a lot of things went wrong for the San Antonio Spurs. Even more so, even up 3-1, the Knicks still must win one more game before they can hoist the championship trophy in confetti-filled lights. Like Brunson said last night in his post-game, “it’s still not over.”
But one thing is for certain: this New York Knicks team is worthy of the admiration and respect they have received. Their run almost feels prophetic, once-in-a-lifetime-like. And more than anything–and it’s the most important thing–this team is close to ending a 50-year-plus championship drought.
Perhaps the most amazing thing is that the Knicks’ roster is full of players who had been counted out as championship-caliber. There’s Josh Hart, who was on a litany of teams before landing in New York. Mikal Bridges, who got shipped from Phoenix to Brooklyn (the equivalent of a basketball wasteland) before he landed in New York, and Jose Alvarado, who is consistently underrated as the heart of a basketball team. Landry Shamet has been consistently undervalued. Karl Anthony Towns, who was once verbally annihilated by a former teammate, was not considered good enough. Put Brunson on that list, too. Keep in mind that he once labored for the Mavericks in near-national anonymity.
But they find themselves here.
Often, I wonder about the downside of our proclivity as fans to fly right by teams to identify and hail the next great face of the NBA. This isn’t golf, after all; it is a TEAM game. But we still want to coronate the next Michael Jordan, as so many have done with Victor Wembanyama. I get that, but it comes at a cost. We set aside the reality that it is great teams, not just a great player, that win championships.
Star players obviously have an impact, but Jordan couldn’t have done it without Pippen, Rodman, or Horace Grant. Shaquille O’Neal didn’t do it without Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, and, of course, Kobe Bryant. Great teams win it all, and historically, they are the true face of the league, just as the ’73 Knicks were.
I know not everyone is a Knicks fan, but every sports fan everywhere wants a team like the Knicks. A team that never gives up. A team that has heart. A team that, against all odds, never falls apart and never blames each other. A team that sticks together.
With Game Five not on tap until Saturday, true Knicks fans have time for reflection and enjoyment. While the rest of the sports world debates what did or did not happen on June 11, a Knicks fan can revel in what did. Yes, I know the San Antonio Spurs are fully capable of winning Game Five. Still, I think it’s worth taking a moment to respect what the New York Knicks did and what this playoff run has been. It is due.
Wu-Tang Clan, one of the most revered hip-hop groups of all time (and, in my opinion, the best), performed at halftime. At the time, the Knicks were down by an astronomical number, 76-49. The Wun Tang Clan is a group of men, each with their own talents and with considerable success outside the group. But consider this: they still perform together in this century, fans still pay money to see them, and their most popular song, CREAM, is still played and discussed across all cultural channels. They remain highly relevant.
These Knicks are like that, too: a group of men with various degrees of talent and plenty of individual success are now etched in sports history with the biggest comeback in NBA championship play. It is not hyperbole to think that a conversation between some of the greatest teams in NBA history should not include this New York Knicks team.
Jalen Brunson is right. The job is not done. But … for one night in June, the hourglass didn’t run out until the Knicks won.
And nothing will ever be the same.
