Jalen Brunson is officially a Knicks legend

Good morning, Winners! This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Here’s Mike Sykes.

Jalen Brunson just became a Knicks legend. He was already certified and beloved as a Knicks player, sure. But Knicks fans love a lot of players who play on that court. Not many of them escalate to the level of legend.

But, for Brunson, as soon as that final 3-point shot hit the bottom of the net, Brunson's legacy as a Knick was cemented.

What. A. Shot. That's all I could think in that moment. That shot — that moment — is what playoff basketball is all about. The weight of it all could've been crippling. The Knicks had blown an 11-point lead and allowed the Pistons to take a lead in the middle of the fourth quarter. To put it plainly, it looked like we were heading for a Game 7, which is certainly not where you want to be when you had a 3-1 lead at one point in the series.

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS CALLED IT: The Knicks' adjustment in Game 6 was fairly simple. Just win it.

No need to fear, the captain is here. Brunson scored six of the Knicks' next nine points to win the game, including this one right here.

The crossover. The three. That's game. It's a wrap.

I know it's just the first round of the playoffs, but there's something to be said about meeting the moment when your team needs you to. Brunson has simply done that all season long — it's why he won the Clutch Player of the Year award. Shots like this are big time. That's not easy. Especially not on the road against a tough defender like Ausar Thompson.

He scored 40 points on 33 shots. Some might argue that it was ugly. You could say it wasn't efficient. But, clearly, the Knicks needed every single point to get this done. Was it pretty? No. But winning isn't always that.

There will be more opportunities for more moments like this moving forward — especially against the Celtics in the next round. But make no mistake about it. Brunson has solidified himself with this right here.

One last time: What. A. Shot.

Game 7 lives in Denver

Game 7. Those are the two best words in sports. Everything a team's season has built up to comes down to this one game. It's either win or go home.

And, somehow, Denver is getting two of them on Saturday.

• In the NBA the Nuggets play the Clippers at home at 7:30 p.m. ET
• In the NHL the Avalanche play the Stars on the road at 8:00 p.m. ET

While two Game 7s are happening here, the circumstances behind them couldn't be more different.

The Nuggets are getting another shot to close out the series after losing Game 6 to the Clippers on the road. While LA never quite pulled away, the Nuggets could never seem to get a grasp on this game. They'll have another chance to do it at home.

The Avs had to earn their Game 7 with a 7-4 win over the Stars on Thursday. While that score seems a bit lopsided, it was really close until the end. Colorado scored two empty-net goals in the final few minutes, but it was really a Dallas own-goal that broke the 4-4 tie in the third period.

That's a tough way to go out if you're Dallas. It's a fortunate gift from the hockey gods if you're Denver. It's a ticket to a Game 7 for the rest of us.

Can't wait.

The "Luka Doncic is out of shape" offseason talk begins

The Lakers' offseason isn't even a day old yet and we're already talking about Luka Doncic being out of shape. Here's JJ Redick's quote from his exit interview on Thursday:

"I'll start with the offseason and the work that's required in an offseason to be in championship shape. And we have a ways to go as a roster," Redick said. "And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There's certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That's where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape."

You could argue that this isn't necessarily just about Luka Doncic because Redick doesn't specifically call him out. But who are we kidding, man. This is about Luka. That's all we've been talking about with him for the last seven years.

HOOKAH AND BEER: Those were two of the reasons Nico Harrison felt comfortable trading Luka in the first place

To be fair to Luka, it's hard to get in shape when you're injured. And he was injured a lot this season. But Redick is right. He needs to be in better shape. Again.

We'll see if this motivates him this summer.

Photo Friday: From the shadows

You're looking at Coco Gauff emerging from the shadows of La Caja Magica against Iga Swiatek to play the sweetest forehand on the WTA tour right now. What a shot.

Quick hits: Respect the Pacers ... A GTA VI delay ... and more

— Prince Grimes says you should have more respect for the Pacers heading into the second round of the playoffs. I agree.

— GTA 6 is delayed, guys. I'm sad. Charles Curtis has the details on why.

— Robert Zeglinski says Nikola Jokic is the leader the Nuggets need after Michael Malone's firing.

— Weather could be a factor at the Kentucky Derby this weekend. Blake Schuster has three horses here who run great in the rain.

— Tyrese Haliburton's dad is sidelined for the rest of the playoffs after the stunt he pulled with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Yikes.

— Bryan Kalbrosky says we shouldn't expect LeBron James to retire after this season.

That's a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Have a great weekend. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️