Draymond Green Sends Cautionary Advice to Jalen Brunson's Knicks Ahead of Game 5

Jalen Brunson is on the verge of winning his first NBA championship. However, neither he nor the New York Knicks is quite there yet. There is still a chance, however slim, that the San Antonio Spurs can mount a comeback. And Draymond Green, who knows all too well what it's like to be on the wrong side of a 3-1 Finals lead, has some advice for the Knicks star.

On a recent episode of the 'Draymond Green Show,' someone asked the Golden State Warriors star if he had some words of wisdom for New York before they lace up ahead of what could be a historic night in San Antonio.

"Don't take it for granted," Green said. "Don't read all the things that say you're up 3-1, it's over. Finish your breakfast. And more importantly, from a prize standpoint, put together a great game."

Green told the Knicks that now that they have a chance to clinch the title, they should make it their best game yet.

Green speaks from experience when offering his advice to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. In 2016, Green and the Warriors finished with a 73-9 record, the best regular-season record in NBA history. They looked like they were destined for the title, and it almost looked like they were going to achieve that destiny.

They overcame a 3-1 deficit against the OKC Thunder in the Western Conference Finals to set up a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom they had defeated for the championship the previous year.

After four games, the Warriors held a 3-1 lead in the Finals. The mood around the Bay Area was euphoric as they appeared to be on the verge of winning a second straight NBA title. However, they never managed to secure the one win they needed to close out the series.

Instead, LeBron James and the Cavaliers completed a historic comeback, becoming the first — and still the only — team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

If the Spurs manage to come back, it becomes a stain on Brunson's legacy. If the Knicks get the job done, though, the next question is whether Brunson deserves the Finals MVP.

Jalen Brunson Has Not Clearly Established Himself as the Finals MVP Favorite

If the Finals MVP was decided simply by who scored the most, then there's no question that Jalen Brunson deserves the Finals MVP. From Games 1 through 4, he scored just under 30 points once, which was in Game 2 when he logged 20. That said, he's been the leading scorer without being the most efficient player.

Through the first four games, he's converted on only 39.6 percent of his field goal attempts. He's also turning the ball over an average of four times per game.

Due to his inefficiency, the discussion on who should be awarded FMVP has become prominent.

Some think that Karl-Anthony Towns deserves the nod. He's only averaged 15.8 points in the Finals, but he's also crashing the boards with 10.8 rebounds per game.

Additionally, he's clearly been the biggest problem for the Spurs, as he has the largest +/- between the two teams at +12.

Then there's OG Anunoby, who is averaging 23.8 points per game, second-highest on the Knicks.

People started taking notice of Anunoby after Game 4, especially after he made a game-saving block on De'Aaron Fox, which he followed immediately with a game-winning tip-in.

"The case for Anunoby is simple — no one has been better in their role than him, and he hit the biggest shot in the series," Dan Woike of The Athletic said in a report. He, along with fellow analysts Nick Friedell, Tony Jones, Jay King, and Eric Koreen, all think that Anunoby has a great chance of becoming the 2026 Finals MVP.