The New York Knicks are NBA Cup champions.
Tyler Kolek is the reason why.
Without the crafty lefty point guard off the bench, the Knicks may have lost to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
With Kolek, the Knicks are champs.
Kolek is one of those guys that just needed to get his chance. He was a college superstar at Marquette, a phenomenal passer, scorer and shooter.
But in the NBA, he was viewed as potentially a little less athletic, a little older, a little smaller than a team might want.
On this night, Kolek was everything. His final stats:
- 14 points
- 5 rebounds
- 5 assists
- 5-9 FG
- 2-5 3FG
- 1 block
The Knicks left Kolek in for almost the entire second half. They couldn't take him off the floor.
He helped them break Spurs pressure and take a load off of Jalen Brunson. He found open shooters. He made shots himself.
This is the player Kolek was in college, the one folks weren't sure could translate his game to the NBA.
But with a trophy on the line, that game sure translated.
Kolek had already told reporters he bought his mom a car with prize money from advancing earlier in the tournament.
The plan was to get his dad a car, too, if the Knicks kept winning.
After a night like this, Kolek can get some wheels for the whole family.
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