SAN ANTONIO — Jalen Brunson scored the game-winning point. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns had big games. The Knicks bench was terrific again.
But the MVP of the Knicks’ franchise-record 13th straight playoff victory may have been an assistant coach.
Jordan Brink, the team’s director of video services and player development, being able to convince coach Mike Brown to challenge a call late in the fourth quarter was pivotal in the Knicks’ dramatic 105-104 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center. They lead the NBA Finals 2-0 after becoming the third road team to win the first two games of the finals.
The Knicks had blown a 14-point lead. Momentum had flipped. The official had ruled that the ball had gone out of bounds off OG Anunoby while he attempted a 3-pointer. But Brink felt there was a foul on the play with 2:37 left.
After a review, the call was reversed. Anunoby was headed to the free-throw line for three attempts.
“Jordan, he’s been a master at this,” Brown said of the assistant coach, who played at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Later, on Brink, Brown added: “He’s been doing this now two years in a row. I rely totally on him. Every once in a while I lose my mind, get emotional, and try to stick it to the refs, even though I like all of them. But that never works. So I try like heck to follow Jordan’s lead, and it was 100 percent his call.”
Just as importantly, Anunoby stepped to the line and made all three free throws. He wasn’t surprised the call was changed.
“It was a foul, so I was surprised they didn’t call it initially,” said Anunoby, who had 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 36 quality minutes. “Jordan Brink did a great job of letting the coaches know. … I think it was big, especially because it was three extra points.”
It helped stop the Spurs’ momentum. Without that successful challenge, the Finals may be headed back to New York tied at 1-1.
