Knicks Two Games Away from Title

Cover photo credit: Ronald Cortes, Getty Images.

Up 14 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Friday night, it looked like the New York Knicks were about to coast to a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

Nothing really comes easy in New York City though. Hardworking families that immigrate for a better life. The struggle, grind, and the hustle is the prelude to the reward.

The struggle in Game 2 manifested itself in a 14-0 run by the San Antonio Spurs late in the fourth quarter, with outstanding rookie guard Dylan Harper scoring on a transition layup to knot the game at 97. With the Knicks trailing 104-102 moments later, star guard Jalen Brunson pulled up just outside of the key, and off one leg, lofted a beautiful shot over the outstretched Julian Champagnie for two. 104-104 with 39.3 seconds remaining.

With less than 15 seconds to go, Brunson pulled up from the right elbow over Victor Wembanyama and missed. Wembanyama boarded the ball and passed ahead to Stephon Castle, only Castle was not looking, and the ball hit him in the back. Brunson stole it, was fouled, and sent to the line. He made one-of-two free-throws. 105-104.

On the final possession, Wembanyama set a slip screen for guard De'Aaron Fox and rolled to the right side, roughly 18 feet out. Receiving the pass and stepping into the jumper nicely, Wembanyama elevated for the shot over Knick center Mitchell Robinson. The shot was too strong, and a rebound and last ditch effort by Devin Vassell proved futile as the buzzer sounded.

And so the Knicks will head back to Madison Square Garden for Monday's Game 3 up 2-0, which was an improbable premonition prior to the start of the series. A split for the Knicks would have sufficed.

Instead, this team of road renegades won the first two games with laser lock-in. Getting out to large leads and, even when pressed, keeping their composure.

Their two wins in San Antonio are a representation of what this team is. They are a team built in a more tradition sense, through shrewd trades and defined roles rather than a formation of superstars who picked their destination. Looking back, it is quite ironic that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019 chose Brooklyn over Manhattan when they signed with the Nets. Like deciding on the Mets over the Yankees.

Keeping it real, in the NBA, destinations like Los Angeles and Miami are more desirable than New York for a lot of superstars. Whether it is the lifestyle offered in the other cities or the want to avoid the pressure cooker that is New York City - the game's largest market, the world"s largest playground, scrutiny abound if you fail - players have avoided MSG.

It takes a special star to rep the Knicks. Walt Frazier and Willis Reed were the originals - Frazier the icy cool guard, Reed the rock in the middle. Supreme scorer Bernard King lit it up briefly. Patrick Ewing held it down for fifteen years, getting his team to a Finals. Stephon Marbury and even Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony - though Stoudemire posted over 25 per game in his first season as a Knick and Anthony led them to 54 wins in 2012-2013 - came and went without achieving the desired success.

The team did not get Durant and Irving in 2019, as the duo teamed in what turned out to be a failed mission. But what the Knicks have now is a tight group that plays together, led by Brunson, who has become one of the league's brightest stars and one who is underrated no more. Karl-Anthony Towns, playing with emotion, is the game's best stretch big man, with his ability to hit 3-pointers and go off the dribble. His aggressiveness and defense on Wembanyama has been a key to this series.

This is a squad that is built the old-fashioned way. An elite point guard and big man, a la the aforementioned Frazier and Reed. Stockton and Malone. Payton and Kemp. And role players that all fit and do their jobs. They exemplify team basketball.

The troika of forwards Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart are the Knicks' 2020s version of the hustle and muscle that was Charles Oakley, Xavier McDaniel, and Anthony Mason. They defend at a high level - Bridges and Anunoby can stretch the floor and defend multiple positions - and Hart is a monster on the boards. Even guards Jose Alvarado and Deuce McBride provide a similar identity in how they hustle. Robinson, too. Landry Shamet has become a big shot maker. McBride has a sweet stroke.

New York hustle. It's gotten the Knicks two games away from their first championship in 53 years. There is something special about this group that has now won 13 consecutive games - the second longest streak in league playoff history. There is something pure about seeing the 81-year-old Frazier pump his fists in elation after the Knicks won Game 2. About Starks beside him, full of emotion, holding up a four as a symbol of the end goal in this series. About Ewing and Allan Houston also there to cheer on their old squad.

Frazier both in his day and the present day personifies cool. Rolls Royces. Fur coats. Exquisite hats. Flashy suits. A wordsmith on the mic. Broadcasting's version of Rakim or Nas.

Cool. A word that sums up the feeling to see the Knicks be two victories away from something that they have not achieved since 1973. To see their fans celebrate. To see Frazier excited.

Cool. Thanks to the grit of the Knicks.