The Knicks have the kind of overall talent and depth that’s incredibly difficult to beat. What took them over the top was Jalen Brunson and his ability to just get a bucket in clutch situations and carry his team across the finish line.
Brunson scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Knicks to their championship win over the Spurs in Game 5. That kind of late-game scoring is a regular occurrence for him. He was named Clutch Player of the Year last season and led all players in fourth-quarter points in this year’s playoffs with 9.9 while shooting 56.2% from the field and from the 3-point line and 90.5% on free throws.
Few teams have that kind of closer, which is a big reason why the Knicks won the championship. Former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony believes the Raptors have a player like that, too, now after trading for Kawhi Leonard, making them a much bigger threat to New York than they were just a few days ago.
“You go get something that the Knicks have over a lot of teams, which is why they won a championship,” Anthony said on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast after praising last season’s Raptors team and its potential. “I have a closer, which was the difference in San Antonio. They don’t have a closer. We have a closer. Jalen Brunson is a closer, so no matter what happens throughout the course of the game, I’m never out of the game, cause I’m a closer, and if it’s close, I’mma close it. Toronto got that.”
He also added, “The players in the league will tell you this is a scary trade because Kawhi coming and playing the way he’s been playing, this is very scary. And again, this shifts the power dynamic.”
The Raptors are certainly banking on this to be true—and on Kawhi Leonard’s health, of course.
New York is still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference
If the Raptors want to make the most of their reunion with Kawhi Leonard, they will have to battle the new-look 76ers with Jaylen Brown in Paul George’s place, the Indiana Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton back on the court, the Cavs team that eliminated them from the playoffs, and the JaysonTatum-led Celtics.
On top of that, the Hawks found something with their new core this past season; the Hornets still have a ton of young talent; the Pistons are still building around Cade Cunningham; the Heat just got Giannis Antetokounmpo; and the Magic might finally figure out all the talent on their roster.
That’s a lot of teams vying for just six outright playoff spots and a shot at getting out of the East to compete for a championship. And that list didn’t even mention the Knicks yet. As the defending champions with their core mostly intact, they are a tier above everyone else until a team proves otherwise. They already lost Mitchell Robinson, but Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart are all still under contract for next season, and most of them beyond that.
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