Alexander Wilson
Jalen Brunson earned every bit of the Finals MVP attention. He closed Game 5 like a superstar, carried the last scoring burst, and turned the franchise’s longest wait into a parade route.
The Knicks do not win this title on Brunson magic alone, though. OG Anunoby’s playoff run is the part that should not get buried under the 45-point clincher, because his two-way work gave New York the kind of championship floor every contender needs.
I know Brunson is the clean headline, and he earned it. But Anunoby was the swing piece who kept solving different problems without needing the offense built around him.
Anunoby gave the Knicks a second kind of star
Anunoby finished the 2026 postseason as the playoff leader in win shares, and that fits the eye test. He guarded stars, hit threes, rebounded in traffic, and kept finding ways to make winning plays that did not require a 25-shot night.
Game 4 was the loudest example. His 33-point night and late putback put the Knicks on the doorstep of the title, but the value was there before and after that moment. In Game 5, he added 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals while Brunson handled the scoring load.
That balance is why the Knicks felt different from a normal one-star playoff run. Brunson could be the closer because Anunoby kept giving New York enough defense, spacing, and physicality to stay within striking distance.
The contract looks different now
Expensive wings always get judged in May and June. The regular season matters, but playoff basketball is where the deal either feels like a weapon or an overpay.
Anunoby just made the Knicks look smart. His Game 4 heroics will live forever, but his broader value was quieter and probably more important. He made New York harder to hunt, harder to space out, and harder to finish off.
Players like that are what contenders spend years trying to find. The Knicks already had him, and now they have a championship that proves exactly why he mattered.
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