Brunson keys late surge as Knicks steal Game 1 in San Antonio - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — There wasn't a sense of panic from the New York Knicks when Jalen Brunson limped gingerly to the locker room late in the first quarter of Wednesday night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals after the Spurs' Harrison Barnes landed on his right knee.

Nor was there panic when San Antonio, looking fresher and more explosive, built a 14-point third-quarter lead. Perhaps it's because the Knicks have been on this magic carpet ride for weeks, having won every postseason game since Game 3 of the first round in Atlanta, a loss that seemingly woke them up and created a playoff monster that has dominated ever since.

Brunson worked himself into Game 1 following a rough start, scoring 13 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks steal homecourt advantage with a 105-95 win at Frost Bank Center.

It was the Knicks' 12th straight playoff win, and it had a familiar formula: Fall behind, get within striking distance and then clear the way for Brunson to close.

«Jalen, he was the MVP in the second half. He was huge for us,» Knicks coach Mike Brown said. «He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home. We put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch.»

Brown has routinely been calling Brunson an MVP candidate, railing against this season's voting, which didn't see him garner even a fifth-place vote. Eight players received votes, including the back-to-back winner, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom the Spurs eliminated in the Western Conference Finals.

For San Antonio, guarding Brunson in the fourth quarter proved to be an impossible task, especially since the Knicks don't seem the least bit uncomfortable on the Finals stage.

«I don't want to say calmness, but