Knicks chemistry – Kendrick Perkins highlighted the Knicks’ trust in each other after New York’s 105-95 Game 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs, calling out Mike Brown’s rotation choices and Jalen Brunson’s supporting cast as the foundation for a 1-0 Finals lead. Shaquille O’Neal
By the time the Knicks had clawed back from a 14-point hole, it didn’t feel like a simple comeback. It felt like something the team had decided on long before the deficit ever appeared.
New York capped that belief with a 105-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1, taking a 1-0 lead in the Finals best-of-7 series. Jalen Brunson led the way with 30 points, but the message Kendrick Perkins brought afterward was just as loud: this wasn’t one man carrying everything.
Perkins. speaking on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show after watching the game. credited head coach Mike Brown and Brunson’s supporting group for what he called their “togetherness.” Perkins singled out how Brown trusted the roster from the opening stretch. pointing to Karl-Anthony Towns and the way New York started the game with him matched up “on Wemby.”.
“For Towns to start the game on Wemby, that’s what you call trust,” Perkins said. He then moved to Brown leaning on Landry Shamet, noting Shamet played 32 minutes.
“For Mike Brown to continue to lean on Landry Shamet, he played 32 minutes; that’s what you call trust. Jose [Alvarado] came into the game last night and had some huge moments, and knocked down some big-time shots. It’s called trust. When you’re trying to win a championship. you gotta have a certain level of trust in your coach. and your coaching staff got to have a certain level of trust in your players. ” Perkins said.
Perkins also described what he saw through the broadcast—how the Knicks’ energy looked different. “You could see and feel the energy through the television screen. It’s led by big-body Brunson, but every guy’s been a star in their role. Every guy is being unlocked in a different fashion that they never been unlocked in their career,” he said.
He referenced OG Anunoby as an example of that unlock. “Look how great OG Anunoby looked last night, right? He had a quiet but powerful 17 points.”
The box score gave Perkins plenty of reason to be specific. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while OG Anunoby scored 17 points. Reserve Landry Shamet added 13 points. and Jose Alvarado was part of the scoring group that made New York’s attack feel shared instead of singular. The four Knicks players—Towns, Anunoby, Shamet, and Alvarado—combined for 55 points against the Spurs.
Brunson’s 30-point night set the tone, but Shaquille O’Neal’s reaction after Game 1 framed the same theme with a different kind of weight: he admitted he was wrong about Brunson.
On ESPN’s Inside The NBA. O’Neal pointed to Brunson’s third-quarter performance as the moment that pushed New York ahead in the 105-95 win. “I admit, before the game, Game 1 is always a feel-out game. I was anxious to see how he was going to do against those tough four defenders – he just showed me Kenny and Chuck that he’s ready for the lights. He’s ready for the big lights,” O’Neal said.
With Game 1 settled, the next test comes quickly. The Spurs will host the Knicks in Game 2 on Friday, after New York’s 1-0 lead was established by a win that didn’t just erase a 14-point deficit—it sharpened the case that the Knicks’ chemistry is becoming their advantage.
New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs NBA Finals Kendrick Perkins Mike Brown Jalen Brunson OG Anunoby Karl-Anthony Towns Landry Shamet Jose Alvarado Shaquille O'Neal Game 1
So they were down 14 and still won… that’s basically rigged lol
Perkins keeps saying “trust” like it’s some magic spell. If they win Game 2 then sure, but rotation stuff can look dumb fast.
Wait, it says Towns started on Wemby? I thought Wemby was on the Spurs bench like half the time. Maybe I’m mixing it up with something else but if Brunson had 30 that means the rest didn’t matter right?
Landry Shamet played 32 minutes?? That feels like a coach just praying and hoping. Jose Alvarado “huge moments” too… like okay but what about defense, turnovers, fouls, all that boring stuff they never mention in these recaps.