The decisive influence of other Knicks knives

« They worked tonight, we can’t win without them ” says Jalen Brunson as he accepts his MVP trophy. The Knicks leader just quoted the player his most productive trainingOG Anunoby, in this NBA Cup Final win against the Spurs.

But also three elements from the bench that played a decisive role in securing the decision: Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson etc Mitchell Robinson. « They managed to turn the tide of the game. They brought real physical intensity », summarized by Mike Brown which significantly went without Michal Bridges in “money time” to give minutes to this trio.

The New York coach was waiting for this physical intensity to match the size of the giants against Victor Wembanyama and Luca Cornet. The idea is to, with the goal of denying them access to the circle at the end of the pick-and-roll, put yourself in their path to get strong passes.

Important defensive move by Tyler Kolek

That’s exactly what Tyler Kolek did less than eight minutes from time, in a decisive sequence highlighted by the coach. Julian Champagne had just made a 3-pointer, but this shot was negated by a foul on offensive lineman Luke Cornett, who at the same time rolled toward the circle and hit Tyler Kolek on his run.

Very annoyed by this whistle, Mitch Johnson asked for a “challenge” to prove him right. Only his reaction to the referees earned him a technical foul. If Jalen Brunson missed the free throw, we can’t say San Antonio emerged victorious in this affair, as Julian Champagne’s game-winning field goal was not awarded.

« Even a small thing like that, bringing physical intensity, putting your body on the line and pushing yourself helped change the game Mike Brown continues. Tyler Kolek didn’t just make sacrifices on defense. In 20 minutes, he gave 14 points (5/9 shooting), 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Including the key caviar for OG Anunobi’s ‘dagger’ two minutes from the end.

« He was very important, I’m really happy for him. This might surprise a lot of people, but you can all see how hard this kid works and I’m super happy for him. The way he played tonight clearly helped us, we needed him Jalen Brunson greets.

10 offensive rebounds for Robinson!

On his side, Jordan Clarkson maintained his reputation as a scorer – even if less prolific this season – with 15 points on 6/15 shooting. ” Jordan’s ability to make key baskets and the turnovers he made were game changers ,” notes Mike Brown, who also quotes Ariel Huckporty for his two short minutes of play.

And it is impossible not to focus on the performance of Mitchell Robinson, who scored only four points (2/6), but grabbed 15 rebounds, including 10 offensive! With a noticeable presence to play elbows with the interior opposite. ” This is pure Mitch. How many times did he change the course of the game? Big respect to Mitch, he really delivered today », compliments of Karl-Anthony Towns.

As these three had a positive impact on the score (from +9 to +15), Mike Brown’s choice to mobilize them as much as possible seems logical. ” It was an easy decision for me at the end of the match, to say that these are the guys who gave us a boost, so we stay with them. Our standards are based on sacrifice, competitive spirit, faith in the process and trust in each other (…) That’s why these guys were able to finish and play extra minutes », concludes the coach.