These unsung heroes helped the Knicks steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals

Jalen Brunson had a cold shooting night, but that didn't stop him from scoring a game-high 30 points to help the New York Knicks win Game 1 of the NBA Finals and steal home-court advantage from the San Antonio Spurs.

Before Brunson took over late, Karl-Anthony Towns buoyed the Knicks with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, 12 rebounds and four assists. OG Anunoby also scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter while shooting 3-of-6 overall, 2-of-3 from deep and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Add in Josh Hart, who had game-highs in rebounds (15), assists (six) and steals (four), and that quartet provided Mikal Bridges with cover from a barrage of questions about his quiet game.

The Knicks also had a few unsung heroes pop up throughout the game, particularly when Brunson briefly checked out due to two separate injuries early on. They never would have been able to flip the Finals upside-down had they let go of the rope when Brunson went to the locker room.

Brunson, Towns, Anunoby and Hart figure to get most of the headlines from Game 1. Consider this our attempt to shine a spotlight on a few other key contributors.

Landry Shamet

Eight months ago, Landry Shamet wasn't even guaranteed a roster spot with the Knicks. He's now coming off his fifth double-digit scoring total in his past seven games.

Shamet's main role is to space the floor and shoot 3s. He has now drained three or more triples in five of his past six games.

In Game 1, Shamet had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting (including 3-of-6 from deep) in 33 minutes. He played more minutes than Anunoby (31), Bridges (28) and Hart (27), in part because Hart got into foul trouble.

Shamet isn't a sieve on defense, either. He was on the floor for most of the Knicks' furious comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He isn't going to come up with a ton of game-changing defensive plays, but he at least isn't a total weak link.

What's especially wild is that Shamet scored only 14 total points across his first eight playoff games combined this year. But ever since he exploded for 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting against the Sixers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, he hasn't cooled off yet.

Jose Alvarado

When Brunson briefly went back to the locker room late in the first quarter to get his right knee checked out, all hell could have broken loose for the Knicks. They found themselves in an early double-digit deficit and were without their floor leader.

Trade-deadline pickup Jose Alvarado helped stemmed the bleeding until Brunson could return.

Alvarado played six minutes and 34 seconds in the first half. In that time, he had seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, four rebounds, one assist and one steal. The Knicks were plus-four with him on the court, which was the second-highest mark of any player in the first half other than Hart.

Alvarado was quieter in the second half as Brunson began to take over late, but he more than contributed to this victory. Had the Knicks melted down early when Brunson was out, their second-half comeback never would have been possible.

Deuce McBride

As the Knicks mounted their third-quarter rally to get back into the game, they were aided by one of the unlikeliest bank-shot 3-pointers that you'll ever see.

McBride shot only 2-of-6 from deep on the night and 2-of-7 overall, so he didn't have a great offensive night. He did chip in four assists, one rebound and one block in his 19 minutes, though, and the Knicks were plus-11 with him on the floor.

Brunson's hanging jumper at the end of the game will be the most memorable highlight if the Knicks go on to win this series. But the Knicks got back into this game thanks to perhaps the most gravity-defying shot since Kawhi Leonard's four-bounce miracle against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2019.

Outside of Dylan Harper, who was a dynamo with 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal, the Spurs got exactly four points on 1-of-7 shooting from the rest of their reserves.

Even if the Spurs' starters play the Knicks' starters even, they'll need their bench to rise up to the challenge of a Knicks reserve group that can all explode at a moment's notice. McBride, Alvarado and Shamet all proved that in Game 1.

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