Knicks Coach Mike Brown Doesn’t Hold Back on Jalen Brunson Praise

Just as they have been all postseason, the New York Knicks were led by superstar point guard Jalen Brunson in their Game 1 NBA Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Brunson scored a game-high 30 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter. The Knicks trusted their veteran leader to get the job done down the stretch, and he delivered with a 105-95 victory on the road.

Knicks coach Mike Brown unleashed some serious praise of Brunson during his postgame press conference.

“He’s a gamer. In the biggest moments, he shows up,” Brown said. “That’s what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands, we said we were going to live and die with him, and he went and he got it done for us.”

“He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do,” he added. “He carried us home. We put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch.”

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Brunson put forth this gutsy performance despite suffering an injury early in the Game 1 contest. Brown was asked about Brunson’s status after his team took a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

“Jalen’s tough as nails. To me, he didn’t seem like he had any effect afterwards,” Brown said.

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Brunson and the Knicks will look to extend their 12-game win streak with another victory over the Spurs in Game 2, which will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday.