Why OG Anunoby should win NBA Finals MVP

The New York Knicks are up 3-1 in the NBA Finals over the San Antonio Spurs due to a team effort. Whether it's been Jalen Brunson's difficult shot-making and steady ball-handling, OG Anunoby's monster two-way impact, or Karl-Anthony Towns thoroughly outplaying Victor Wembanyama, there's a ton of credit to go around.

While Brunson would be the more traditional pick to win Finals MVP as a lead creator, Anunoby has a real case to win the award. This discourse may have picked up following his remarkable putback to secure a historic 29-point comeback for the Knicks. Regardless, OG's case for Finals MVP goes far beyond this one all-time play.

OG Anunoby's Finals MVP case

Brunson winning Finals MVP wouldn't be out of place by any means, and frankly, I think it's more likely. The case is pretty simple; he still initiates most of their offense, has been an incredible shot-maker, especially in clutch games, and has managed to average 29.5 points against an elite Spurs' defense.

Nevertheless, he has been far from perfect, averaging 4 turnovers and 5 assists, while shooting 39.6 percent from the field. Overall, I would say that Brunson is having a good but not fantastic series.

As such, there's a strong argument to be made that Anunoby's 23.8 points on 58/55.6/91.7 shooting splits in tandem with his otherworldly defense have been a bigger reason that the Knicks are up 3-1.

A massive reason for the Knicks success has been their ball containment and sharp defense on the Spurs' guards, and that starts with OG, who has mainly guarded De'Aaron Fox. Notably, the two-time All-Star is shooting 6-for-15 against Anunoby. The Knicks' historic comeback in Game 4 can partly be attributed to OG's defense on Fox.

He blew up plays and took away the two-man game between him and Wemby. Furthermore, he scored 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the second half — his difficult shot-making was a massive boon to the Knicks' offense. A lot of factors contributed to the Knicks' comeback, but OG's two-way brilliance was at the center of things, and this has been the case all series long.

While KAT has had the lion's share of minutes on Wemby, Anunoby has done a great job when he has been asked to guard him as well, holding him to 6-for-14 shooting from the field. In addition to his stifling on-ball defense, OG has been disruptive off the ball, averaging 2.5 stocks.

Offensively, his 23.8 points have been absolutely crucial for the Knicks. He has made difficult shots at all three levels and has served as the lone dependable shot creator outside of Brunson. Anunoby's 33-point Game 4 performance might have been the highlight of his immense offensive impact, but make no mistake, he's been awesome throughout the series.

And yes, the Knicks' lack of creation outside of Brunson could help his case, but there's no doubt that OG's two-way impact has been central to New York's success. I think it could be argued that OG has been their most steady source of offense. Matchups play a role in this, but it's highly impressive nonetheless.

Anunoby has made clutch plays all series, even beyond his stellar block and putback in Game 4. He is averaging 7.8 fourth quarter points in the finals with an absurd 71.9 effective field goal percentage.

Seriously, where would the Knicks be without him?

We still have at least one more game to play, but it seems like the Knicks are destined to close things out, and there's a genuine path where OG earns Finals MVP. And if this happens, I think that would be the perfect way to cap off this remarkable Knicks championship run.

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