SAN ANTONIO — It’s no longer a dream.
This will really still be there when Knicks fans wake up. This is actually reality. This is forever.
For multiple generations, this was only something Knicks fans could see when they closed their eyes and let their minds wander. It was a ghost of the past – 53 years to be exact. It was a hypothetical.
No longer.
Jalen Brunson had a look in his eye that was visible even from the stands.
It was noticeable everywhere in the arena.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
He was in the middle of one of the great Finals performances in NBA history. He knew it. His teammates knew it. The Spurs knew it.
Everyone knew it. And there was nothing anyone could do to stop it until it was over. Until the final score read Knicks 94, Spurs 90 and the celebrations began Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center.
Until the Knicks were officially champions.
Move over Willis Reed’s Game 3 in 1970. Move over Walt Frazier’s Game 7 that same year. This was the best performance in Knicks history. This was the stuff of legend.
This was a legacy in the making.
A title was within reach and Brunson would not be denied. Captain Clutch took the Knicks home. He erupted for 45 points and cemented his place in basketball lore.
As the final whistle blew, Brunson embraced his father, Rick, tightly near the sideline. It was the first time he allowed himself to release any sort of emotion.
Brunson scored eight straight Knicks points in the second quarter as they shaved a 16-point deficit to five by halftime. He scored 14 in the third quarter as the Knicks clawed back from a 15-point deficit.
Then he scored 13 straight Knicks points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks captured glory.
