The New York Knicks are on the verge of ending a 53-year championship drought, and according to explosive comments from super-agent Rich Paul, the real MVP of the NBA Finals might not be the name everyone expects.
After New York’s jaw-dropping 107-106 comeback victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 — the largest comeback in NBA Finals history — Paul made a stunning case that OG Anunoby, not Jalen Brunson or Karl-Anthony Towns, deserves the Bill Russell Trophy if the Knicks close out the series.
Sources close to the situation tell us Paul’s endorsement carries extra weight given his personal history with Anunoby, who was formerly represented by Paul’s Klutch Sports before switching to CAA. Insiders say this isn’t just agent loyalty — it’s a calculated read on what the voting committee is seeing behind closed doors.
“OG has been the most reliable on the Knicks in this series on both ends of the floor,” Paul said on the latest episode of Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul. “He’s shot it well from three, he’s guarded, he’s made the hustle plays getting the 50-50 balls. When you look at his overall impact on the series in each game, it’s been OG. He’s hit every timely shot, every big shot.”
Paul’s argument is hard to dismiss after Anunoby delivered what insiders are calling a career-defining performance in Game 4. The 28-year-old forward erupted for 33 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block — shooting a blistering 10-for-15 from the field, 7-for-9 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in 41 minutes.
But his impact went far beyond the box score, according to league insiders who spoke with our team. With the Knicks trailing by 29 points and staring down a 2-2 series tie, Anunoby blocked a De’Aaron Fox attempt late in the fourth quarter. Moments later, he followed Jalen Brunson’s missed triple with a putback to give New York a one-point lead with just 1.2 seconds remaining.
The sequence reportedly sent shockwaves through the Spurs’ locker room, with one unnamed assistant describing it as “the kind of play that defines a series.”
Anunoby’s Finals numbers are historically absurd. Through four games, he’s averaging 23.8 points and 4.0 rebounds while hooping 3.8 threes per game. He’s shooting 58 percent from the field, 56 percent from three and 92 percent from the stripe. According to Real App, his 78.4 true shooting percentage is the most efficient 20-point-per-game Finals series in NBA history — a stat that has voters reportedly paying close attention.
His seven made threes in Game 4 rank third all-time in a Finals game, behind only Stephen Curry’s nine and Ray Allen’s eight. One NBA scout we spoke with called it “a performance that screams Finals MVP.”
Now, with a 3-1 series lead, the Knicks head back to Frost Bank Center for Game 5 on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. If New York finishes the job, sources say Anunoby’s case for the award could become impossible to ignore — and Rich Paul will have been the first to call it.
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