"Anything that the New York Knicks fans believed about the Knicks coming into the series was validated in Game 1 tonight."
@stephenasmith reacts to the Knicks' Game 1 win in the NBA Finals vs. the Spurs ✍️
"When we all saw him limp off, obviously we was all worried - not only because he's Jalen Brunson but more because he's our brother. We're a family in our locker room and we're just worried about his health."
- Karl-Anthony Towns on Jalen Brunson's injury
The Knicks won their 12th consecutive playoff game, tying the 1998-99 Spurs for the second-longest winning streak in a single postseason in NBA history.
The 2016-17 Warriors hold the record with 15 consecutive victories.
Mikal Bridges says that the Knicks are a tough team "mentally and physically," so even when playing from behind, the mindset is "keep fighting no matter what"
"We can't just be satisfied with that. We have a long way to go. We have a lot of things we can do to be better."
Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks resilience in coming back in the second half and the team's mentality in those situations:
"They come ready to play more than any other team that we've faced. We have the utmost respect for them. We know that we've got to be ready for Game 2."
Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks' respect for the Spurs and how New York was able to win tonight:
“Jalen Brunson was the guy that separated himself from everybody else on the floor.”
@LegsESPN on Captain Clutch’s performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals 🍿
Karl-Anthony Towns:
"I just felt a calm and a peace that had to come from the woman above ... I felt like I was a kid getting ready to go play my Saturday AAU games and Sunday AAU games. In a way, I felt like I was seeing [my mom] in the stands."
The New York Knicks have won 12 playoff games in a row. That is tied with the 1999 Spurs for the second-longest playoff winning streak ever. Only the 2017 Warriors (15) have won more in a row.
Victor Wembanyama responds to Jalen Brunson scoring 30 points tonight:
"He's an elite player... it's a first to four series so we're going to have time to work on it"