Pressure is at the core of every aspect of a championship matchup.
The Knicks have the pressure of maintaining the chemistry they cultivated over their 11-game win streak. The Spurs have the pressure of proving that beating last season’s champions in Game 7 of the Conference finals isn’t the peak of their season.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will have plenty of pomp and circumstance before the opening tip, which could add to the pressure the players feel in the series opener.
Among all the players on both sides of this matchup, OG Anunoby is the guy I’m least concerned about when it comes to pressure.
Anunoby started this playoff run looking like an All-Star. In his first eight games, before injuring his hamstring against the 76ers, Anunoby averaged 21.5 points on 61.9 percent shooting from the floor and 53.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The numbers don’t tell the full story, though. He was playing with a level of force that made him a matchup nightmare for every defender who had the unfortunate assignment of guarding him.
In the first two games after the injury, Anunoby looked like he was hesitant to test his hamstring, but by Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he was showing signs that he is closer to the version we saw pre-injury.
The added benefit of the Knicks sweeping the Conference finals and banking eight days of rest before Game 1 should provide even more opportunity for Anunoby to be fully healthy.
Betting on the NBA?
His points prop is between 15.5 and 16.5, depending on the book, which is right around his scoring average from the last round (16.3 points per game). Anunoby has gone over 16.5 points in all but three games this postseason, and two of those games were immediately after coming back from injury.
I think his offense will be a huge variable for the Knicks in this series, and I expect we’ll see the dominant version of Anunoby that stood out early in the playoffs.
The Pick: OG Anunoby Over 16.5 points (+105, BetRivers)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
