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Knicks coaches didn’t show game film at halftime on Wednesday night. Instead, they let the players talk.
But what was there to say?
The Knicks were 24 minutes from a brutal home loss in the most important game of the season. They were 24 minutes from staring down a Game 5 on the road with the Finals knotted at 2-2.
It would have been easy for the players in that locker room to look for excuses, complain about mistakes, point the finger at their teammates' missed shots or assignments.
That’s not what happened on Wednesday night.
There was a quiet confidence in the room, born out of experience.
“We know it's a game of runs. We're a resilient group. We've been through a lot. We've come back plenty of times when we're behind,” OG Anunoby said. “Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated. Just staying with it.”
The Knicks stayed with it all the way until the end, when Anunoby made a forever play by tipping in Jalen Brunson’s miss with 1.2 seconds left to give the Knicks a one-point lead. It’s one of those plays that will be talked about for decades, replayed again and again, frozen in time.
The seeds for the iconic moment were planted by head coach Mike Brown in the morning shootaround. He challenged Anunoby to hit the offensive glass.
Anunoby did exactly what his coached ask at the most important moment of the season.
“I was free. There was no one boxing me out. So I just went in there for a tip-dunk and then ended up just tipping it in,” Anunoby said after the game.
A superstar play from someone who is playing like a superstar in these Finals. He had 33 points in Game 4, hit seven threes and had a key steal and a block late in the fourth quarter to set up his own heroics.
But Anunoby wasn’t treating himself like a hero after the game. He was stoic, matter-of-fact in his postgame news conference. Instead of glorifying his own play, he focused on the entire Knicks locker room.
“We're a team, a brotherhood, you know, we just have each other's backs. That's just how it goes sometimes,” Anunoby said. “We would all do the same for each other.”
Continue reading...
But what was there to say?
The Knicks were 24 minutes from a brutal home loss in the most important game of the season. They were 24 minutes from staring down a Game 5 on the road with the Finals knotted at 2-2.
It would have been easy for the players in that locker room to look for excuses, complain about mistakes, point the finger at their teammates' missed shots or assignments.
That’s not what happened on Wednesday night.
There was a quiet confidence in the room, born out of experience.
“We know it's a game of runs. We're a resilient group. We've been through a lot. We've come back plenty of times when we're behind,” OG Anunoby said. “Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated. Just staying with it.”
The Knicks stayed with it all the way until the end, when Anunoby made a forever play by tipping in Jalen Brunson’s miss with 1.2 seconds left to give the Knicks a one-point lead. It’s one of those plays that will be talked about for decades, replayed again and again, frozen in time.
The seeds for the iconic moment were planted by head coach Mike Brown in the morning shootaround. He challenged Anunoby to hit the offensive glass.
Anunoby did exactly what his coached ask at the most important moment of the season.
“I was free. There was no one boxing me out. So I just went in there for a tip-dunk and then ended up just tipping it in,” Anunoby said after the game.
A superstar play from someone who is playing like a superstar in these Finals. He had 33 points in Game 4, hit seven threes and had a key steal and a block late in the fourth quarter to set up his own heroics.
But Anunoby wasn’t treating himself like a hero after the game. He was stoic, matter-of-fact in his postgame news conference. Instead of glorifying his own play, he focused on the entire Knicks locker room.
“We're a team, a brotherhood, you know, we just have each other's backs. That's just how it goes sometimes,” Anunoby said. “We would all do the same for each other.”
Continue reading...
