While the New York Knicks won their first championship since 1973 with a dominant postseason run, the NBA Finals tested them to the core. Still, the Knicks managed to topple the San Antonio Spurs 4-1. However, Shaquille O'Neal believes they got lucky.

While Shaq admitted that the Knicks had a fantastic playoff run that culminated in the long-awaited championship, they also had some lady luck on their side.

“You don’t think the Knicks’ championship was a little lucky this year? If you don’t get that tip, it’s over. If you don’t get that tip, you don’t win that game. If dumba— Fox don’t try to fu—n’ score with 8 seconds left and OG gets the block, that’s what I’m saying. That’s two instances right there,” he said.

While Shaq's comments suggest the Knicks would have had a harder path if not for some moments dropping their side, the Spurs also have themselves to blame.

After going down 2-0 in the NBA Finals at home, the Spurs had a dominant performance in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, the most hyped game in recent memory.

The Spurs had the chance to tie the series and take the momentum back home in Game 5, and everything was directed towards that outcome until the fourth quarter.

The Spurs blew a 29-point lead as the Knicks torched them in the fourth quarter. However, they still had the chance to win when Jalen Brunson missed a basket in the closing seconds, and De’Aaron Fox got the ball, only for him to foolishly drive to the basket instead of wasting time.

That is one of the instances Shaq mentioned as luck, but it can also be as simple as the Spurs' fairly young and inexperienced roster, as opposed to the Knicks' stars in their prime.

Whether luck or not, Shaq can change his opinions, just like he did with Jalen Brunson, giving him a pretty big compliment after he won the Finals MVP.

Shaquille O'Neal Compares Jalen Brunson to Kobe Bryant

O'Neal usually throws in a lot of comparisons when talking about present players, but his latest one about Jalen Brunson carries real meaning.

Speaking on “The Old Man and the Three,” the NBA legend revealed the exact moment he sensed something special was there inside the Knicks‘ star player, a look he says he’d only seen once before, in Kobe Bryant’s eyes.

"We had a show like right before playoffs started. And I like to mess with guys and say, hey man, you’re going to win a championship this year. He (Brunson) had that look in his eye like, like when I used to ask Kobe. Like he really had a look in his eye. Like I knew that, hey, they was going to do it."

Shaq has also called Brunson the greatest free agent signing in history following his Finals MVP run, so you could say that Brunson has a fan in the big man.

And with how the Knicks dominated the East last season, they could very well do it again, but this time, they have LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers standing in the way of their throne.

So, do you think Jalen Brunson and the Knicks can shut down all critics once again by going back-to-back? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy