The New York Knicks are officially NBA champions after coming back once again to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night. Jalen Brunson was awarded the Finals MVP trophy after his virtuoso performance in this one, scoring 45 points to keep the Knicks’ offense afloat on a night when not many other players had it going.
Now, the hot takes are flying in regarding Brunson and the Knicks’ place in history, including one from Kendrick Perkins of ESPN.
“This man [Jalen Brunson] has become the greatest Knick of all time,” said Perkins, via SportsCenter on X, formerly Twitter.
At this point, it’s hard to disagree with the claim.
Despite their place as one of the most marquee NBA franchises, the Knicks don’t exactly have a storied history of success, having last won the championship in 1973 prior to this year. Members of the 1970s teams, including Willis Reed and Walt “Clyde” Frazier, both certainly have claims among the greatest Knicks of all time, as does Patrick Ewing, who nearly led his team to the promised land in 1994.
However, the context of Brunson’s arrival in New York City, which came after their disastrous 2021-22 season in which they missed the playoffs altogether, and his meteoric rise into NBA superstardom, has completely redefined the basketball culture in New York, turning the Knicks from the NBA’s punching bag into its latest championship team.
The fact that he cemented the championship with what will go down in Knicks history as an iconic Game 5 performance only adds fuel to his claim as the GOAT New York player, and he’ll have a chance to further his case as the team looks for a repeat next year.
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