I cannot believe that just happened.
At halftime, I remarked in the P&T group chat that I wasn’t doing player grades. Why should I? The entire team deserved a big ol’ F.
And then they did… that.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Jalen Brunson: A-
36 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 12-25 FG, 3-7 3pt, 9-11 FT, 3 turnovers, +11
It’s about damn time, Jalen.
He wasn’t immune to the unanimous feeling of being flustered in the first half that every last Knick felt, so some of the possessions looked downright ugly early, but he calmed
everything down in the second half, leading the impossible comeback.
He played 23 minutes in the second half. He had 17 points on 6-11 shooting. He nailed momentum shot after momentum shot. It was vintage Jalen Brunson.
But what was most impressive was that he was more willing to get the ball out of his hands. He had some bad turnovers, but had a series-high in assists and was more willing to work off-ball. The plan coming into the game was very clearly to get back to the KAT-centric offense, but him getting in foul trouble early ruined it.
I cannot find it in my heart to critique really anything. Even his startling final shot was calculated. He dragged Victor Wembanyama out of the paint with his gravity, and it allowed OG Anunoby to fly in for a putback to win the game.
Mikal Bridges: D
7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-9 FG, 1-3 3pt, -2
I refuse to be too negative after that game, but this was another disappointing game for Bridges, who’s now just 1-for-4 in the Finals on impactful games.
He played just 28 minutes and spent a lot of the fourth on the bench after not making much of an impact early. The defense wasn’t good enough. The offense wasn’t good.
The Knicks won. Moving on.
Josh Hart: D
6 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3pt, 1-3 FT, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, +11
For all the good that Josh Hart has done for this franchise, this could’ve been the game that sealed him in history in infamy.
The brick open layup for the lead. The ball-watching on the Stephon Castle offensive rebound. Two disastrous plays threatened to spoil one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Even aside from that, he didn’t really do much. He clearly had some sort of impact, being on the court for pretty much the entire comeback, but man.
OG Anunoby: A+++++
33 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 stocks, 10-15 FG, 7-9 3pt, 6-6 FT, -1
This is one of the greatest games in Knicks history. This was, quite simply, unbelievable.
He made clutch three after clutch three. His shooting in the first half was the only reason we weren’t down 50. Every time he had the ball, he made something happen.
He made a game-saving play when he swatted De’Aaron Fox on a layup with 15 seconds to go. He then hit the greatest shot in franchise history by tipping in a missed 3 by Brunson.
If you excuse me, I’ll be asking Fanatics to remind me when OG Finals jerseys are back in stock.
Karl-Anthony Towns: B
13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 4-5 FG, 2-2 3pt, 4-4 FT, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, +17
What a weird game.
It was absolutely abysmal that he was forced out of the game in one minute because of two ticky-tack calls. He’s a star. Why doesn’t he get a whistle like one? Oh, wait, I can think of a reason.
Anyway, the one benefit of him being glued to the bench for the entire first half is that he was able to empty the tank in the second half, playing 17 of his 26 minutes. He was unable to get to much offense, but he was a beast on the boards, re-established physicality on Wemby, and played with energy.
He also scored five points in that fourth-quarter run, including an incredible stepback three and a drive on Wemby himself that was probably also a blocking foul. Zach Zarba, this is why you let the man play.
(Bonus: He seems to have tipped the game-ending inbound that led to Castle not getting a clean catch. Big time stuff.)
Deuce McBride: F
0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0-4 FG, 0-4 3pt, -14 (7 minutes)
Dude.
José Alvarado: A
8 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3pt, +11
The New York kid had a New York moment.
Mike Brown got bold in the fourth quarter. He played Alvarado alongside Brunson, giving up a ridiculous amount of size on the defensive end to diversify the team’s offense and take pressure off JB.
In his 16 minutes, he committed five fouls. He played with intensity. He bit Wemby’s ankles. He made two massive shots in a row to cut the lead to four with 3 minutes to go.
Dalen Terry and two second-round picks, everyone.
Landry Shamet: D-
0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 0-3 FG, 0-2 3pt, -13
These last two games have been so ugly for Shamet on both ends.
Well, he loves playing on the road and loves closeout games. See you in San Antonio.
Mitchell Robinson: C
2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1-5 FG, 0-4 FT, 3 OREB, -14
He probably deserves a D, to be honest. He looked gassed when he had to come in to play early for KAT. He missed three layups early and a dunk in the third quarter. He was pulled for Ariel Hukporti and Jeremy Sochan.
Why does he get a C? He got a lick back on Wemby late in the first quarter for his shenanigans the last two games. It wasn’t the turning point, per se, but it was the warning shot that the Knicks were done getting punked by Victor Wembanyama. That’s what an enforcer does.
Jordan Clarkson: D-
2 points, 1 rebound, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3pt, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, +2
These were some ugly minutes. When the Knicks tried to make a run in the third quarter, he was extremely clumsy with the ball and threw away multiple possessions.
You had to reward him with minutes with the way Deuce is playing and how he played on Monday, but goodness.
Miscellanous
Ariel Hukporti: Welcome to the series, Huk! Three minutes, 1 block, 1 foul. He didn’t really do much, but I guess he was the start of slowing down Wemby late in the second quarter?
Jeremy Sochan: The only thing I remember him doing in three minutes was taking a hilarious turnaround jumper that missed badly. The center rotation was in shambles in that first half. Trey Jemison III, where art thou?
