Jalen Brunson’s Dad’s Blunt Message to the Knicks During Game 1 of NBA Finals Might Have Saved Them

Rick Brunson, Jalen's father, is an assistant coach with the Knicks. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

They did it again.

The red-hot New York Knicks extended their postseason win streak to 12 games when they took down the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night. Even more impressive, they did it on the road.

New York point guard Jalen Brunson rallied to bring things home with an excellent fourth quarter, during which he recorded 13 points to bring his overall tally to a game-high 30. Forward Josh Hart, meanwhile, had just three points but a whopping 15 rebounds, plus six assists. OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns were huge contributors too, with 17 and 18 points, respectively, plus 12 rebounds for KAT.

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All in all, it was a great game—even if the Knicks were tempted to lose their minds following a few officiating decisions. In one instance, for example, Brunson was seen having a few words with referee Scott Foster after the he fell to the ground and Spurs center Luke Kornet stepped on his ankle, with no whistle in sight.

By and large, though, the team remained calm. And turns out that restraint was the credit of Jalen's father and New York assistant coach, Rick Brunson.

"We were all bitching too much at the officials. Rick Brunson was great," head coach Mike Brown said after the game. "He told me to shut the hell up ... and he told the rest of the team to be quiet and leave the officials alone. It was great of him because we were all kind of losing our mind. And I did it. The rest of the guys did it. And it helped us put our energy elsewhere, especially in the second half."

Mike Brown says that Rick Brunson told him to "shut the hell up" when it came to complaining about the officiating tonight: pic.twitter.com/8YF8PXJO7i

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 4, 2026

Although there are certain moments where you can't totally blame a player or coach for losing their cool on a ref, nine times out of ten, it's a terrible decision for them to make. Especially in a game as important as the NBA Finals, and especially regarding a player as crucial as Jalen Brunson or a fixture as crucial as the head coach.

Imagine if Brown had been tossed; that would have been a nightmare scenario for New York. Or, imagine if Brunson had fouled out—another totally unthinkable situation. Moreover, this was a tight game; the score was tied at 94-94 with just two minutes left. That's a situation where giving up a free throw could make or break the entire night.

All to say—Rick Brunson did the right thing in urging the team to stay poised. And although his son did have some words for a courtside Spurs fan directly after the game, that tense moment may have been worse if Jalen didn't have his dad's warning ringing in his head. (The NBA is now said to be looking into the fans' remarks, which were apparently vulgar and regarding "flopping.")

We'll see what Game 2 brings. Tip-off is slated for Friday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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