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SAN ANTONIO \u2014<\/b> A season ago, Mikal Bridges led the league in total minutes played. Josh Hart was second. OG Anunoby was in the top 10. The three of them, as well as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, all averaged at least 35 minutes a game.<\/p>\n
When the Knicks lost to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, part of the reason was that then-coach Tom Thibodeau had worn out their legs getting to that point, and he was slow to trust Landry Shamet and other players off the bench with serious minutes.<\/p>\n
This season, Thibodeau was out, and Mike Brown was in and among his mandates was the need to grow and develop the Knicks\u2019 bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a philosophy I had. One of the many things I learned from Pop [Gregg Popovich] and Steve [Kerr],\u201d Brown said, referring to legends he was an assistant coach under. \u201cSteve was really good at trying to play a lot of different guys…<\/p>\n
\u201cThen at the end of the day, I\u2019m not a medical person, but just from what medical people say, if you can kind of control the minutes during the regular season, it helps them during the postseason. From people telling me that, I believe it. That\u2019s what I tried to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
It worked. The Knicks bench \u2014 primarily Shamet, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson, but others in spots \u2014 have been a key part of why New York is not only back in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. If there is a parade in Manhattan celebrating the team\u2019s first title in 53 years, that bench will play a huge role.<\/p>\n
It does not mean it was all smooth sailing to get to this point.<\/p>\n
Did Josh Hart see that bigger picture Brown was looking at when Hart sat glued to the bench for some clutch fourth quarters during the regular season?<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I definitely didn\u2019t see the bigger picture in those moments,\u201d Hart said. \u201cThere was moments I went home and I\u2019m like, damn, am I ass? Do I suck as a basketball player? There was a lot of those moments. Whenever your minutes go down or you get benched, you have that thought process. But for me, it was, okay, how can I build off of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hart eventually came around.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m cool with it, sometimes,\u201d he said. \u201cGame 1 [of the Eastern Conference Finals] I got benched because Landry was out there hooping, and I was happy about it. But that took a little bit of time and self-reflection to get to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Knicks have developed a unity and a willingness to put ego and personal production aside for the greater good of the team. They support their teammates in a way not always seen around the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cTruthfully, with this team \u2014 I\u2019ve said it a number of times \u2014 we\u2019ve got a group that truly roots for each other, wants each other to succeed…\u201d Landry Shamet said. \u201cLook at our bench, different guys throughout the playoffs that have been inserted, have had to step up, play bigger roles in certain situations. There\u2019s a lot of reasons on paper where it would look like you could get a little bitter about so-and-so is taking so-and-so\u2019s minutes, whatever the case may be. Truthfully, this team, we have a special group where we all root for each other, know that job and role could look different for anybody any night… That\u2019s really cool and really unique to be a part of with this team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shamet recognizes that same selflessness in the Spurs, something their young, tight-knit core has talked about.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re obviously a very talented group, a deep group,\u201d Shamet said. \u201cA lot of the same things I\u2019m saying, can rely on a different guy every night off the bench to be a spark. We have to be ready for that, take our individual matchups seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe the best example in San Antonio is Keldon Johnson. Just three seasons ago, he was averaging 22 points a game and was the face of the franchise. But as the team drafted its young stars like Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper (and went out and got De\u2019Aaron Fox in a trade), Johnson knew he had a choice to make.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a point where you look in the mirror and ask, \u2018Do you want to be a part of something special, or do you want to chase personal goals?\u2019\u201d Johnson said. \u201cBeing here throughout this season and winning has been the ultimate reward. It just shows that everything was worth it.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, I went from being \u2018the guy\u2019 to coming off the bench and being sixth man [he won Sixth Man of the Year this season]. I feel like winning is the most addictive thing in this league. This year is a testament to that, being able to win and contribute to us winning means more than anything that I\u2019ve done in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whichever bench contributes more to winning in this series will have a big say in which team will hoist the Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy when it\u2019s all over.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n