Justin Verrier

But also just to have Brunson to be able to turn to, to go to work there.

I could just watch him pivoting and making these small little head fakes and look offs in order to get downhill in the way that he was pretty much all day.

I'm curious why the Spurs defensively still, despite the fact that he seemed like he was getting a free run into the basket, kept picking him up.

Like there was a really crucial possession where Castle was basically picking up a half court.

Brunson makes one move and he's basically at the rim at that point.

I think that's something like the Spurs need to ask themselves is just like their process coaching wise in the midst of a game.

I don't know if you guys saw the clip from game four as well, where the last final possession, where they didn't know who they were guarding and actually got mashed up on the wrong guys, which led to the switch for Wemby, which led to him being so far out there.

There's a lot of that going.

on there but obviously I think this is Jalen Brunson's moment 45 points and out of the 94 that the Knicks had in this game I also just felt like his walk-off interview with Lisa Salters was just like so affecting like that's literally everything you want from sports from this moment

Unfortunately, it was a pretty stark comparison to what happened with Jason Tatum probably two years ago, a moment that felt a little too manufactured, a little too like he had rehearsed what he was going to say once he got to that point.

Brunson was basically like couldn't talk because he was just so emotional in that point.

And I was just thinking like throughout the year, we've talked so much about face of the league and like how the league is selling itself and like what works, what doesn't, the tanking and all this stuff.

I feel like that was probably –

one of the dominant storylines throughout this NBA season, at least the regular season.

But, like, once we got to this point, like, I felt like this is exactly why we all plug into sports.

Like, to watch someone like Brunson, who's a bit of an underdog, overcome adversity time and time again in order to win in the biggest moments.

Like, I don't know.

This is why Jerry Bruckheimer is a zillionaire, you know?

It was a real, like... How can you not be romantic about basketball moments?

And I have to say, like...