The New York Knicks are just four wins away from becoming NBA champions for the first time since 1973. The Knicks crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on Monday to end their long wait to get back to the NBA Finals.
The Knicks last played on the big stage back in 1999, and Jalen Brunson deserves much of the credit for this special playoff run. Brunson has been spectacular, and he might soon make Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon eat some humble pie.
Back in December 2023, Hammon made some comments on ESPN’s NBA Today that Knicks fans still haven’t quite gotten over. Back then, the team was viewed as a tier below the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers, and she didn’t think they could get to their level.
“I certainly agree with you, they’re not getting into that tier,” Hammon said. “They don’t have enough personnel, they don’t have the manpower that they need to hang with those guys. I think you’re going to get a consistent team, like they’ve been, they’re a pretty good team, they’re well coached, they’re going to be on their defensive game.
“But at the end of the day, they don’t have a dude,” Hammon continued. “You got to have a dude. You gotta have a 1A dude, and they’re missing that at the end of the day if we’re just getting down to brass tacks.”
Kendrick Perkins expressed surprise at that take. Perkins pointed to Brunson, but Hammon claimed he was too short at 6’2″ to lead a team to a title.
“No, he too small,” Hammon said. “… Can I say my philosophy? If your best player is small, you’re not winning. John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, you could go down the list. Steph Curry is the only dude… He’s the greatest shooter to ever walk the planet. He’s in a different class.”
Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas are the only small point guards who have led teams to championships. If we go by history, there is a far, far greater chance of Brunson failing to lead the Knicks to one. The 29-year-old might just defy the odds, though.
Brunson has averaged 26.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 0.9 steals per game for the Knicks in these playoffs. The three-time All-Star has orchestrated a stunning 11-game postseason win streak. Of those 11 wins, nine have been by double digits. They have been blowing away the competition.
This streak had actually looked set to end at seven when the Knicks trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Cavaliers. Brunson, though, scored 15 points in the fourth to help send the contest to overtime.
The Knicks would end up winning 115-104, and you wondered whether the Cavaliers would be able to rebound from such a brutal loss. They couldn’t. The Knicks cruised to victory in the next three games.
Brunson finished the series with averages of 25.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. He was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP and is now eying the biggest prize.
While Brunson might be too classy to take shots at Hammon if he leads the Knicks to a title, their fans probably won’t be so nice. Josh Hart might have something to say as well, as he had fired shots at her back then. Hart was a believer in Brunson and could be proven right soon.
The Knicks will take on either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Both those Western Conference teams would be the favorites, but Brunson has shown you shouldn’t write him off.
