From The Sports Desk: Jalen Brunson, Captain Clutch, ices Game 1 for Knicks
The San Antonio Spurs had taken a 1-point lead, with just more than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals last night, when something remarkable happened.Two words: Jalen Brunson.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The Knicks point guard hit a corner 3-pointer to give them the lead, and then moments later, he hit a falling-down jump shot to ice the game.
That’s why they call him Captain Clutch.We break down Brunson’s heroics below, and Mexico’s teenage sensation Gilberto Mora is today’s World Cup spotlight.For more NBA and World Cup coverage, check out the NBC News website.NBA FinalsOne of the most common refrains used to describe the NBA playoffs is that the game slows down.Not necessarily that the basketball becomes easier, but each minute is so tense, both teams are so focused and each possession is so tight that the winner is often decided by which team — or player — can execute when the game grinds to a halt.In Game 1 of the NBA Finals yesterday, Brunson was that player, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Knicks to a 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and a 1-0 series lead.
The Spurs, meanwhile, scored only 19 points over the final period and looked discombobulated.Since the start of the 2023 postseason, no other player has made or attempted more clutch field goals than Brunson.(Clutch is defined as a game within 5 points with under five minutes to go.)And only 14.8% of Brunson’s clutch makes have been assisted, the lowest percentage of any player with at least 100 clutch attempts.
That means not only that Brunson is unafraid to take and make the biggest shots — but that he often does so by creating entirely for himself.“In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that’s what MVPs are supposed to do,” New York head coach Mike Brown said.“We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him.
And...