ATLANTA — OG Anunoby entered this postseason as one of the league’s most invaluable supporting players.
He left the first round with the look of a leading man.
In a first-round matchup featuring multiple All-Stars on both sides, Anunoby emerged as the series’ standout player.
In the Game 6 clincher, the 28-year-old elevated his game again, leading the Knicks with 29 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals while shooting 11-of-14 from the field (4-of-6 from 3) in 29 minutes of the 140-89 win at State Farm Arena.
Anunoby — who had 26 points, four steals and seven rebounds while helping the Knicks set a playoff record by amassing a 47-point halftime lead — finished the series averaging 21.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting over 61 percent from the field and better than 60 percent on 3-pointers (17 of 28).
“[He was] just doing everything — scoring, defense, rebounding, making plays,” said Mikal Bridges, who was nearly as phenomenal, adding 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. “He’s doing everything out there and that’s what we need. And I think he’s gonna continue to do that for us.”
It is impossible to overstate Anunoby’s importance since he arrived from Toronto less than three years ago in a deal that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley north of the border.
His impact was obvious immediately: The Knicks won 20 of their first 23 games with one of the league’s best defenders, then blew a 2-0 lead in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals after Anunoby suffered a hamstring injury.
Last season, he was an integral part of the Knicks’ first conference finals run in a quarter-century, averaging 16.3 points, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks during the playoffs while helping slow Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the second-round upset of the Celtics.
This season, Anunoby gives the Knicks legitimate reason to believe they might make the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
After putting up a total of 39 points, 20 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in the Knicks’ previous two wins, the 6-foot-7 wing came out swinging, ensuring Atlanta’s home court provided no advantage.
It is hard to believe — and harder to remember — but the Hawks led 11-9 four minutes into the game.
Anunoby then hit back-to-back 3s, and quickly followed with back-to-back steals, giving the Knicks a lead that would soon balloon into the unimaginable.
“OG was phenomenal,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “And he rebounded his behind off.”
Anunoby finished the first quarter with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, making all but one of his seven shots from the field.
In the second quarter, Anunoby continued leading the charge, inspiring Garden-like “O-G” chants from the countless Knicks fans in attendance.
“We just came out with intensity,” said Anunoby, who posted a team-best plus-42 rating. “We were ready to play from the very jump … We know what we’re capable of. We know we’re a great team. We just need to continue to do it.”
Anunoby took just three shots in the second half, leaving with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter — the Knicks held a 103-52 lead — while leaving the nine-year veteran wondering when was the last time he’d been part of such a blowout.
“I don’t know,” Anunoby said. “Maybe high school or something.”
