SAN ANTONIO — Bad leg? Bad shooting night?
It doesn’t matter. Jalen Brunson is a bad, bad man.
You knew it was coming.
Anyone who has watched the Knicks this postseason should have known it was coming.
Brunson carried the Knicks as they erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a 105-95 win over the Spurs on Wednesday night. It marked their 12th straight win and an important first punch in the series.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson celebrates hitting a 3-pointer against the Spurs during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3, 2026. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
It wasn’t at quite the same scale, but it felt similar to Game 1 of the conference finals against the Cavaliers. The familiar script felt like it truly got started midway through the fourth quarter.
The score was tied 86-86 with 7:37 left in the game as Brunson checked back in. The Knicks have broadcast this same movie so many times before. The Brunson takeover was inevitable.
“We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him,” coach Mike Brown said. “And he got it done for us, and that’s happened time after time after time.”
Right away, Brunson got into the paint and made a layup to reestablish the Knicks lead. After a stop, Josh Hart corralled the rebound, led a fast break and dished to Brunson, who drew a foul and made both free throws to put the Knicks up four. Hart stole the ball on the other end, started another fast break and once again passed to Brunson, who finished it off.
Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns (32) goes up for a shot against Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostThe Knicks led by six as Spurs coach Mitch Johnson called timeout. The first real audible “Let’s go Knicks” chants could be heard inside the Frost Bank Center.
Another stop after the timeout. Another Brunson bucket. It was an 8-0 Knicks run, with all points scored by Brunson.
It was like clockwork.
But it wasn’t straightforward. The Spurs immediately responded with a 9-0 run — seven of which were scored by Victor Wembanyama — to retake the lead.
No problem. Brunson went back to work.
He batted OG Anunoby’s missed 3-pointer to Mikal Bridges, got it back, then drilled a 3-pointer to put the Knicks back ahead. De’Aaron Fox missed on the other end, and Bridges subsequently got fouled and hit two free throws. Wembanyama then dribbled the ball off his leg, and Brunson came down and hit a circus-like fadeaway over Devin Vassell to put the Knicks up six. That pretty much put away the Spurs.
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The Knicks closed on an 11-0 run. They outscored the Spurs by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Brunson had 13 points in that quarter.
“I don’t want to say calmness, but I think we know what we have to do,” Brunson said about the Knicks’ comfort when trailing. “I think we are a pretty together group. Be able to trust each other and still have each other’s back and know that we just have to keep chipping away, chipping away. It’s just a credit to the mentality that we have as a team.”
Brunson hurt his right leg — Landry Shamet pushed Harrison Barnes into him — in the first quarter, checked out with 1:27 left in the period and went back to the locker room. He returned with 8:03 left in the second quarter. Brunson said afterward that he is “fine.”
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Knicks guard Jalen Brunson puts up a shot in the paint against the Spurs during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3, 2026. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks shoots against Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs in the first half of the 2026 NBA Finals – Game One at Frost Bank Center on June 3, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. Getty ImagesHe was 7-for-22 overall and 1-for-8 from 3-point range across the first three quarters. Then, as he seemingly always does, he figured it out down the stretch.
Chalk up another win for David vs. Goliath, as Brunson, who finished with a game-high 30 points, bested Wembanyama. The Spurs star had 26 points but on rough 6-for-21 shooting from the field. His defensive presence in the paint was felt early, but Brunson and the Knicks found ways to avoid him as the game went on.
“I was bad tonight,” Wembanyama said. “It’s not more complicated than that. … I think we let that one go.”
It wasn’t just a one-man Brunson show, though. Anunoby, who had been a nonfactor up until that point, had 12 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 17. He drilled back-to-back 3s early in the period, the second of which was right in Wembanyama’s face.
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama fight for a rebound. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostKarl-Anthony Towns added 18 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter. It was really him who sparked the comeback and powered the offense for stretches when Brunson was struggling.
Towns and Hart had 12 and 15 rebounds, respectively, bravely battling Wemabanyama on the boards.
Shamet provided 13 points off the bench, drilling 3 of 6 3-pointers. Mitchell Robinson played 12 minutes and grabbed six rebounds. Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado provided important minutes off the bench.
Brunson’s supporting cast answered the call when needed. But this comeback doesn’t happen without Brunson delivering his latest — and so far, most important — signature clutch-time performance.
Jalen Brunson goes up for a shot in the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostKnicks fans had to wait 27 years to get back to the Finals. Forget that now, though.
It’s been 41 days since the Knicks last lost. The dream run has reached new heights.
