Jalen Brunson fueled another New York comeback win yesterday but said the Knicks can’t afford to relax after their 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals opener.
Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks rallied from a 14-point deficit to post their 12th straight victory in the playoffs after sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers in separate Eastern Conference series.
It was the seventh double-digit comeback in the second half of a playoff game by the Knicks over the last two postseasons and their fourth of these playoffs. That includes their rally from 22 points down with less than eight minutes remaining in their opener against Cleveland.
“I think we know what we have to do,” Brunson said of the Knicks’ ability to dig in when they’re down. “I think we’re a pretty together group and still just continue to fight and have each others’ back and just know that we’re going to keep chipping away. It’s a credit to the mentality we have as a team.”
Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns said it’s a mentality that reflects New York City. “It’s something that’s in the city,” he said. “You feel that energy in the city – the grit, the grind, the hard work you’ve got to put in to make it in the city.”
While the Knicks managed to snatch a key road win, Brunson said he expects a young Spurs team led by Victor Wembanyama to hit back hard. “They come ready to play more than any other team we’ve faced,” he said. “We have the utmost respect for them ... We have a lot of things we can do to be better.”
Wembanyama, 22, was calm after the loss, noting that there was still a long way to go in the best-of-seven series.
“I’m not kicking myself about anything really. I’m not worried the slightest,” said the Frenchman, who finished with 26 points despite a poor shooting night in which he made just six of 21 shots from the field.
“I’m going to figure it out,” Wembanyama added. “I mean, I was bad tonight. It’s not more complicated than that ... We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
