“I deserve some credit, so I’m gonna take it.” That is what Stephen A. Smith said just a few days before the Knicks closed out the Finals. He genuinely seemed to believe his support was playing a role in what was happening on the court.
Whether his energy had anything to do with it or not, the Knicks did win. They beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, 94-90, to become NBA champions, and right after the final buzzer, Smith made a claim that got everyone talking.
Stephen A. Smith’s Bold Claim After Game 5
After the game, Smith explained why he believes that Jalen Brunson and the Knicks “saved the NBA” with their championship victory.
“Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks saved the NBA tonight with this championship. Stay with me. Wemby is 7 feet 5. If the Spurs win the championship, the entire NBA is evolving its scheme around how do you knock off the alien, the 7-foot-5 alien from France. How do you do it?”
“Well, guess what? Now that a 6-1 guard, who’s not the most athletic above-the-rim dude that ain’t his game, just savvy, brilliant as a basketball savant, footwork extraordinaire, that guy at 6-foot-1 led this team. And in a close-out Game 5 drops 45 on a Spurs defense that was pretty elite. That’s what they did,” Smith said during the ESPN segment.
What Smith was really trying to say was that the Knicks prevented the league from becoming completely focused on one player.
Had the Spurs won the title behind Victor Wembanyama, teams around the NBA might have spent years building their rosters and strategies around finding ways to stop him. Instead, it was Brunson and the Knicks who came out on top.
According to Smith, Brunson’s success is proof that basketball intelligence and decision-making still matter at the highest level, whereas on the other side, Wembanyama is viewed as a once-in-a-generation talent because of his size.
Looking at the game, the Knicks actually had a rough start in Game 5. After the first quarter, they were down by 10 points. At halftime, they had cut into it a bit but were still trailing by 5 points. But the second half was a different story: New York came out and scored 57 points after the break, defeating San Antonio.
Brunson finished the night with 45 points, three rebounds, and three assists. His performance not only helped bring the title to New York but also earned him Finals MVP honors.
“I got no words. It’s everything I’ve dreamt of… I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m just like… I’m in awe. I don’t know. Whenever someone counts us out, we find a way to come back and do something about it,” Brunson said after the game.
Now, as Smith pointed out after the win, the Knicks enter next season as defending champions. Not many believed New York would be holding the trophy at the end of 2026, especially coming out of the Eastern Conference, where the competition is never light. But here they are.
