Knicks Notes: Game 5, Brunson, McBride, Alvarado, Maturity, MVP, Towns

The Knicks are on the verge of erasing over a half-century of frustration. They can win their first NBA championship since 1973 with a victory in Game 5 on the Spurs’ home floor tonight.

Jalen Brunson is embracing the possibility, according to Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.

“I think the one thing that stays constant is I’ve always told myself, and always been taught by my parents, ‘Never be afraid to fail,’” Brunson said Friday at Frost Bank Center. “You put yourself in those positions in the summertime when you’re envisioning what’s going on the court, when you’re by yourself on the court … When those opportunities come about, you’re not afraid of the moment because you worked hard enough to where if you do fail, you’re going to learn anyway. You put the confidence you have in everything you do when the lights aren’t on, when no one’s watching.”

Brunson is averaging 29.5 points for the series despite shooting 39.6 percent from the field. He had 36 points and seven assists during Game 4, when the team staged a historic comeback.

“Whenever you win or lose a game, that night, you’re going to think about it, think about the things you’ve done well or what you did wrong, [but] I’ve always told myself when you wake up the next day, it’s time to turn the page,” Brunson said. “Yes, we won [Game 4], but we still have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to learn. We didn’t play our best basketball. We still have a lot to revisit to make sure that we don’t really put ourselves in that position again.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

• Backup guard Miles McBride has been a non-factor in the series, averaging 2.8 points in 13.3 minutes per game while shooting 20 percent from the field. McBride says he hasn’t lost confidence, Kussoy writes. “I’m always going to stay confident, knowing I can impact the game in a lot of different ways,” McBride said. “I’m going to make shots. I’m never worried about that. … Anybody is capable of it, 1 through 15 on this team. We’re pushing each other to be better. That’s how our team has been. We’re motivators. We want to uplift everybody. I think having a team like that, you can do a lot of great things.”
• Coach Mike Brown took a gamble in Game 4 and it paid off. He paired small guards Brunson and Jose Alvarado together and in the 12 minutes they shared the court, the Knicks outscored the Spurs by 21 points. “I think he did a great job of coming in and changing the game,” Brunson said of Alvarado, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. Alvarado scored eight big points in the win, all coming in the second half, and added three assists and two rebounds. Alvarado has a $4.5MM option on his contract for next season.
• They are relying on their maturity to reach the finish line, according to Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “Obviously, we have some veteran guys on the team. But you can be a veteran and still have a little bit of immaturity about you, as we all know,” Brown said. “From top to bottom, this group is pretty mature. That rubs off on the rest of the group. It makes my job easier. We’ve been preaching all year that it’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession. We understand any time you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases, the level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort.”
• Who is the Finals MVP at the moment, Brunson, OG Anunoby or Karl-Anthony Towns? A team of writers from The Athletic tackles that question, giving the edge to Game 4 star Anunoby, given his overall impact and efficiency in the series.
• Speaking of Towns, he’s on the verge of becoming a franchise and New York legend, The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor writes. Towns has shed the label of being a soft player with his playoff performances, offensive aggression and defensive toughness. “I’ve always had to change the way I play so it could be most beneficial for the team,” he said. “Taking all that experience this year, I’ve had to do it on the fly. It wasn’t game by game. It’s been quarter by quarter. That comes with experience, and just knowledge of the game, and just time. Time playing the game, time putting shots up, time reading defenses, seeing defenses, offenses. …  I think that right now, whatever it takes to win, especially when you’re in the NBA Finals, I’m willing to do.”