Jalen Brunson Leads the Knicks to a Historic Title, While Victor Wembanyama Draws Criticism

Despite ESPN analytics giving San Antonio strong in-game win probabilities in Games 1, 2, 4 and 5, the New York Knicks completed a historic NBA Finals run and won the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time since 1973. New York had trailed for much of the series, but the champions were the better story to the article's author, with Jalen Brunson at the center of it all.

Brunson scored 45 points in the title-clinching win, tied for the most points by a player in an away championship game with Michael Jordan in 1998. After the final buzzer, his first act was to shake hands with opposing coach Mitch Johnson. The article says Brunson became the new GOAT of the Knicks, and notes that he also set an NBA Finals record for a point guard with a 32.6 scoring average.

The piece emphasizes Brunson's unlikely rise, he is 1.88 meters tall, was a second-round pick, broke through only at age 26, and turned down $113 million to help improve the roster. It notes that he is only the fourth player ever to lead teams to titles in high school, college, and the NBA, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, and Magic Johnson. Josh Hart summed up the team's distrust of numbers, saying, 'I have never been a big analytics guy.'

By contrast, Victor Wembanyama is portrayed as having damaged his image in these playoffs, beginning with the series against Danny Avdija and Portland. The article says a mix of arrogance, disrespect toward opponents, and dirty plays turned millions of fans against the French star, and that he will need to mature quickly if he wants to become the face of the league. After the game, he said, 'We controlled most of the series without dispute,' and ended his press conference with, 'Appreciate you. See you... never.' The title sparked massive celebrations across New York, with fans flooding the streets, chanting, lighting fireworks, wearing Knicks gear, and turning the city into one giant party.