Brunson seals Finals MVP with 45-point showcase
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Jalen Brunson scored 45 points in the Knicks' 94-90 Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs, clinching the franchise's first NBA championship in 53 years and earning unanimous Finals MVP honors from all 11 voters.
- Brunson joined Michael Jordan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bob Pettit as the only players to score 45+ points in an NBA Finals closeout game.
- The fourth quarter was decisive: Brunson scored 15 of his 45 points in the final period on 14-of-27 overall shooting (4-of-7 from three, 13-of-15 from the free-throw line), helping New York erase a seven-point deficit.
- The Knicks' 2022 signing of Brunson to a four-year, $104 million deal was widely seen as an overpay, but the franchise has now won at least one playoff series in each of his four seasons after managing just one in the prior 21.
- OG Anunoby called Brunson "resilient, mentally tough" and said he stays in "attack mode" no matter the score, calling him "an amazing player" who "showed the world tonight."
- Coach Mike Brown declared Brunson "him" and "freaking him" when it comes to New York basketball, adding "he understands what winning is about."
- Accepting the Bill Russell Trophy alongside his father, Brunson said: "It's everything we ever dreamed of… It's why I came to New York."
Why it matters: The Knicks end a 53-year championship drought, and Brunson's 2022 free-agent deal — widely viewed as an overpay at $104 million — now looks like one of the best signings in NBA history. The franchise won a playoff series in each of his four seasons after managing just one in the prior 21, reshaping the team's identity and silencing the contract critics.
