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  "path": "/jalen-brunson-finished-off-a-karl-anthony-towns-master-class",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-04T13:12:23.000Z",
  "site": "https://defector.com",
  "tags": [
    "NBA",
    "2026 nba finals",
    "2026 NBA Playoffs",
    "basketball",
    "Jalen Brunson",
    "Karl-Anthony Towns",
    "New York Knicks",
    "san antonio spurs",
    "victor wembanyama",
    "ESPN",
    "recaps"
  ],
  "textContent": "That photo up there is of Jalen Brunson, who hit some huge shots down the stretch of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, led all players on both sides in scoring, and was talked up by his head coach as the hero of a game the underdog Knicks won, 105–95. \"He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do,\" said a glowing Mike Brown, who pushed every correct button Wednesday night. \"In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that's what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him.\"\n\nI am going to tell myself that Brown heaped particular praise on Brunson not only because Brunson hit some big shots, or because Brown was still stirred by Brunson's recovery from what looked like a scary leg injury in the first quarter, but because he does not want to draw attention to what really won the game for the Knicks. New York triumphed in Game 1 because they pretty well ate up Victor Wembanyama, because they convincingly won the matchup against the player whose sudden ascendence to the very pinnacle of the sport has been the defining story of this NBA season. Nobody seemed to want to talk about it, after Brunson's theatrics: Across two ESPN recaps, neither coach is quoted so much as uttering the name of the man who outplayed Wemby. Allow me: Put simply, Karl-Anthony Towns kicked Wembanyama's ass.\n\nHere was a fun, somewhat bewildering challenge for a Thursday morning: To search among the photos available in Defector's subscription with Getty Images and to find one that contains both Wembanyama and Towns. The image, in this case, should depict these two behemoths in relation to one another in such a way that the composition tells some essential truth about the contest. Shouldn't be too hard! Wembanyama played 37 minutes and Towns played 34 minutes, and the two guarded each other a lot. Turns out, this is an impossible task, possibly because it is just very difficult to frame up two players of their combined size.",
  "title": "Jalen Brunson Finished Off A Karl-Anthony Towns Master Class"
}