Barbara Barker: Knicks' Jalen Brunson will reach peak of NY sports by winning NBA title

SAN ANTONIO — There is always a debate about who belongs on the Mount Rushmore of New York sports.

Joe Namath? Yes. Derek Jeter? Of course. Eli Manning? Yep. Mark Messier? You bet. Walt Frazier and Willis Reed? Absolutely, even though I know we now are well past four names.

Over the past month and a half, it is becoming increasingly clear that the mount again may be in need of expansion.

With the Knicks three victories away from capturing their first NBA title since 1973, Jalen Brunson is on the verge of becoming a New York sports icon, on the doorstep of joining one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sports.

It’s a club with admission rules like no other. Although every city with professional sports has its athletic heroes, what it takes to break into this group of New York athletes involves more than Hall of Fame credentials and championship rings — though both of those are basic requirements.

What separates these New York icons from just truly great players are certain personality traits, ones that personify the city itself in its persistence, competitiveness, hard work and obsession about being the biggest and the best.

Add to that an ability to take your game to the next level when the spotlight is shining the brightest, a desire to be “the guy” when your team needs you most.

Brunson has shown a level of confidence in late-game playoff situations that only the greats have matched.

No, he doesn’t make predictions the way Namath and Messier did. But — with the way he blows that three-fingered kiss after hitting a killer trey — he does show a dose of bravado and swagger on the floor that both irritates opposing crowds and sends Knicks fans into convulsions of glee.

Right now, Brunson is captaining a storybook season for the Knicks, with Wednesday night’s 105-95 win over the Spurs being just the latest compelling chapter.

While it wasn’t the same thing as Reed hobbling out of the tunnel to inspire the Knicks to their win in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Brunson’s big fourth quarter is something that will be talked about for years to come.

Brunson had been forced to leave the game in the first quarter after teammate Landry Shamet knocked San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes into his right knee. He returned to the game, only to have the Spurs’ Luke Kornet step hard on his ankle in the second quarter.

Brunson struggled to shoot through all this and at one point was 5-for-18. But when his team needed him most, he delivered by scoring 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead three-pointer that ignited a game-ending 11-0 run.

Since the start of the 2023 postseason, no other NBA player has made or attempted more clutch field goals in the playoffs than Brunson. Clutch is defined by the NBA as a game within five points with five minutes to go. Brunson has 144 points with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander running a distant second with 84.

Only 14.8% of Brunson’s clutch makes have been assisted, the lowest percentage of any player with at least 100 clutch attempts. That means Brunson not only is unafraid to attempt the biggest shots but that he often creates them for himself.

His game Wednesday night was the type of performance that Josh Hart, who also was his teammate at Villanova, has seen again and again over the years.

“As a friend, you’re happy he’s getting recognition,” Hart said. “I think he’s still underrated in the league, and he keeps proving people wrong, game by game, series by series, playoff appearance by playoff appearance. As a friend, as a teammate, it’s funny because you know he’s one of the best players in the league.”

Brunson did not receive a single MVP vote this season. Of the seven who did, only Victor Wembanyama, who finished third, is still playing.

Yet winning the MVP has never been a requirement for winning the hearts of New Yorkers. Jeter, Manning and Frazier never were named MVP in the regular season even though they were instrumental in their teams winning championships. Manning was the Super Bowl MVP in 2008 and 2012. Jeter was the World Series MVP in 2000. Frazier should have been the NBA Finals MVP in 1970 after pairing 36 points with 19 assists in Game 7, but the award was given to Reed for his emotional impact on the game.

What does seem to be a requirement is the desire to win it all on the biggest stages. Brunson, like many city residents, moved to New York to take on the ultimate challenge, to compete in an uber-competitive environment. He wanted to win here so badly that he left more than $100 million on the table when he re-signed with the Knicks so they could form a stronger supporting cast.

“Every year he just continues to be more locked in,” Deuce McBride said. “I don’t know how much more locked in you can get, but somehow he figures it out. He wants to be the guy.”

If the Knicks can get three more wins, he will be.