Sports
Column: Jalen Brunson imposed his will, Knicks rewarded with NBA crown
Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) walks off the court after the Knicks defeat the San Antonio Spurs during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images SAN ANTONIO — Jalen Brunson fully understands what leading the New York Knicks to the NBA championship means for him, for his team and for the city of New York.
He’s heard it from Walt Frazier, who was a part of NBA champions in 1970 and ’73. He’s talked about it with Bernard King and Patrick Ewing, stars who got the Knicks close in the 1980s and ’90s, and he’s lived it though his father, Rick Brunson, a former player and now an assistant coach for the team.
Jalen Brunson knew what it would take to carry the Knicks to their first title in 53 years, the price he would have to pay to get his team to the Finals for the first time in 27 years, and what he would have to do to get the Knicks over the finish line against San Antonio and its superstar forward Victor Wembanyama, one of the league’s faces of the future.
Now it’s time to reap those rewards and put to rest one of the most dubious title droughts in pro sports history.
Brunson poured in 45 points, 29 in the second half, to lead New York to a come-from-behind 94-90 win over the Spurs in Game 5 of the Finals on Saturday night, clinching the best-of-seven series 4-1. Three of the Knicks’ wins came on the road with each of them coming down to the final minutes and requiring comebacks from New York.
Brunso, the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, was the ticker that never flickered.
The 45 points tallied by Brunson set a Knicks record for a Finals game, supplanting the 38 scored by the legendary Willis Reed in 1970. Reed scored his in the third game of a series that went to seven and ended with the big center literally willing New York to the title over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brunson’s effort in this series was just as arduous and will go down in Big Apple lore with Reed’s performance in that distant Knicks championship run. The undersized New York captain took a beating as the Spurs employed four different players to defend him and knock him around every time he touched the ball. His bruises had bruises and his lumps had bumps.
“I’m hurting right now, oh, I do hurt right now,” Brunson, 29, said after the win. “I’m feeling maybe a little bit worn down physically just because of the game and what (San Antonio was) trying to do. Mentally, I feel fresh. I feel like that’s where I thrive. I’m just happy we’re able to find ways to win the games.”
There was nothing more San Antonio could do. Brunson was just too good. He’s one of just 11 different players to score at least 45 points in an NBA Finals game, for a total of 15 games.
San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson had a matter-of-fact response when asked what his team could have done differently against the Knicks star.
“Make (Brunson) score less points,” Johnson explained. “He’s aggressive. He got to spots. We were undisciplined at times. He got going, then he got going later on. He’s a heck of a player. He deserves everything he’s got.”
On a night when the Knicks got next-to-nothing offensively from Karl-Anthony Towns (two points) and OK production from Game 4 hero OG Anunoby (11 points, eight rebounds), it was up to Brunson to make the plays that produced the victory and the championship. His 15 points in the final quarter were one more than the rest of his teammates combined (14).
“You know, people say (Brunson is) too small. People say he’s a 1B or a 2B or whatever,” New York coach Mike Brown said of the three-time All-Star, listed at 6-foot-2. “He is a freaking 1A. He is an MVP candidate. Brunson — he is him, man, when it comes to New York basketball. He is freaking him.”
Brunson averaged 32.6 points per game in the Finals, scoring 30 or more in four of the contests. As hard as it is to fathom, he got better as the series went on, racking up 32, 36 and then 45 in the last three slugfests.
“That’s who Captain is, man,” Towns said about Brunson. “Captain always finds a way to get back into court and produce as a testament to who he is. It’s just his story, (he’s) never given up, always has been the underdog, always been looked down upon.”
“Shout out to everybody told him he couldn’t do it.”
After the final buzzer on Saturday, Brunson — a white towel over his head — ran on the floor toward half court, but he was overcome with emotion, and stopped and crouched near the scorer’s table. At his side were teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, his running buddies and fellow former stars at Villanova, loving him up before literally lifting Brunson to a standing position.
He had carried the Knicks to the title — and now, fittingly, it was his teammates that helped him to his feet. The weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. The hopes and dreams of the whole of New York City and its rabid and vocal fan base had finally been realized.
After the game, Brunson clutched the Larry O’Brien Trophy and offered a weary smile. There’s a trip to the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan in his and the Knicks’ future, as the team will be feted in the time-honored Big Apple parade tradition at long last.
It will be a day cherished for a generation of New Yorkers, an “I-remember-where-I-was-when” moment, for fans young and old.
Someday there might even be a statue of Brunson outside Madison Square Garden. If so, let’s hope it’s as tough and as durable as the man is himself.
–Steve Habel, Field Level Media
Sports
Joey Volchko's dominant complete game leads Georgia past Texas
Jun 13, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; Georgia Bulldogs starting pitcher Joey Volchko (37) celebrates after defeating the Texas Longhorns at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images Georgia used a four-run first inning and a dominant complete game from Joey Volchko to coast to a 7-1 defeat of Texas in the College World Series opener for both teams on Saturday night in Omaha, Neb.
The Bulldogs (52-12) held the Longhorns (45-14) to just four hits, winning the opening game in their first CWS appearance since 2008. The No. 3 overall seed, Georgia is the highest seed to make it to Omaha after No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Georgia Tech lost in home regionals.
Georgia took a 2-0 lead three batters into the bottom of the first as Tre Phelps worked a leadoff walk and, one out later, Rylan Lujo hit his 14th homer of the season down the left field line. It was originally ruled a foul ball before Georgia challenged and the call was overturned.
The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the first on a pair of errors from Texas All-American catcher Carson Tinney.
That four-run advantage wound up being more than enough for Volchko (11-2), who allowed one unearned run over nine innings, striking out 15 and walking one.
Georgia tacked on three more unearned runs in the seventh off Texas ace Dylan Volantis (10-2), who allowed seven runs (two earned) on four hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out nine and walking one.
Lujo and Kenny Ishikawa each had two hits, while Phelps scored two runs for Georgia, which will face Oklahoma in a winner’s bracket game Monday evening for a spot in the semifinals.
Adrian Rodriguez and Ethan Mendoza each had two hits to account for all of Texas’ production. The Longhorns face Alabama, which lost 9-0 to the Sooners earlier in the day, in an elimination game Monday on the all-Southeastern Conference side of the bracket.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kelsey Plum's career-high 43 help Sparks outlast Mercury in OT
Jun 13, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) and guard Kelsey Plum (10) celebrate after defeating the Phoenix Mercury in overtime at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Kelsey Plum scored a career-high 43 points and made five 3-pointers as the Los Angeles Sparks lost a nine-point fourth-quarter lead but recovered to beat the host Phoenix Mercury 111-102 in overtime in a Commissioner’s Cup game Saturday.
Plum’s layup with 1.6 seconds remaining in regulation tied it at 98-98, and the Sparks (7-6, 3-2 in Commissioner’s Cup) scored the first eight points in overtime capped by Cameron Brink’s four-point play with 3:03 remaining.
Kahleah Copper scored a career-high 41 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers for the Mercury (4-11, 2-4), who had a chance to win at the end of regulation but Natasha Mack’s hurried jumper was off.
Rae Burrell had 16 of her career-high 24 points in the first half and Nneka Ogwumike had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Sparks, who have won three straight.
The Sparks had a season high in points and made 15 of 34 3-pointers. Oqwumike made three threes and passed Tina Thompson for fourth in scoring in WNBA history with 7,499 points.
Mack had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Alyssa Thomas had 10 points and 12 assists for the Mercury, who have lost three straight and nine of 11.
Plum and Copper took over down the stretch for their respective teams. Plum scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and Copper had 13.
Copper made a layup to knot the game at 88-88 before Plum countered with a 17-footer for a 90-88 edge with 2:24 left.
Thomas’ shot jumped tied it at 90-90, and Lexi Held made a 3-pointer to cap an 11-4 run for a 93-90 Mercury lead with 1:33 remaining, a possession started when Mack blocked Plum’s short jumper.
Plum made two threes and Copper made one to level the game at 96 with 53 seconds left. Mack’s short jumper with 12.7 seconds left put the Mercury ahead before Plum tied it late.
The Sparks are 5-1 on the road and won their second straight in Phoenix after a 97-88 win on May 21.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics stay hot in Las Vegas with win over scuffling Rockies
Jun 12, 2026; Summerlin, Nevada, USA; Athletics center fielder Lawrence Butler (4) scores during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at the Las Vegas Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images Zack Gelof homered and singled to extend his hitting streak to 17 games and the surging Athletics beat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Alika Williams had three hits, Henry Bolte had two hits and Jose Suarez (1-2) tossed 1 2/3 innings of relief for the A’s, who have won four straight in their first homestand at their future home city.
Elvis Alvarado got the final three outs for his second save.
Brett Sullivan homered and TJ Rumfield and Troy Johnston had two hits each for Colorado, which has lost three in a row and seven of nine.
The A’s went ahead in the first against Colorado starter Kyle Freeland. Nick Kurtz reached on a one-out single and went to third on Shea Langeliers’ double to left. One out later, Jacob Wilson drove in both with a single.
Sullivan cut the deficit in half when he led off the third with his fourth home run, and the Rockies tied it in the fourth.
Rumfield led off with a double and scored on Johnston’s single to right. The A’s answered in the bottom of the inning when Bolte hit a leadoff single and Gelof homered to left-center field, his ninth of the season, to make it 4-2.
Colorado rallied once more in the fifth inning. Kyle Karros led off with a triple and scored on Sullivan’s sacrifice fly. Sterlin Thompson followed with a double to chase Athletics starter Joey Estes, who gave up four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings
Edouard Julien greeted Suarez with a single to put runners on the corners, Thompson scored the tying run on a wild pitch before Willi Castro walked and Rumfield’s double made it 5-4.
Freeland couldn’t hold the lead in the sixth. With two outs and Gelof on second, Williams blooped an RBI single to center to end Freeland’s night. Jaden Hill gave up a go-ahead pinch-hit RBI double to Tyler Soderstrom, Kurtz was intentionally walked and Langeliers walked to load the bases.
Hill hit Carlos Cortes to bring home another run for the A’s, making it 7-5.
Freeland (1-7) allowed six runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Joey Volchko's dominant complete game leads Georgia past Texas
Kelsey Plum's career-high 43 help Sparks outlast Mercury in OT
