Jalen Brunson (Jokingly) Blasts Knicks Teammates for Jordan Comments
Like Mike? No thanks, says New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
There's no denying that Brunson has reached Michael Jordan's hallowed realm, at least by certain statistical metrics: on Monday, for example, Brunson joined Jordan as one of only four players in NBA postseason history to score at least 40 points in four straight games as he guided the Knicks to a 121-117 victory over the Inidana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinal opener.
Even in victory, Brunson has never been one to revel in individual accomplishments, his focus centered solely on the main area of the scoreboard. With an icon like Jordan involved, Brunson was taking no chances: when informed during their joint postgame statements that his teammate joined Jordan's company, shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo put up a giddy expression, but was quickly told to "stop" by Brunson.
Brunson addressed the goofy controversy as the Knicks prepared for Game 2 set for Wednesday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
"If you know my friends, you should know that they're all a***oles, first of all," Brunson said with a smirk in video from SNY. "The one thing Donte said last night was actually really cool, it actually sounded genuine. But usually, they're all sarcastic. But yeah, I just had to stop him before he kept going."
Little more needs to be said about the Knicks' continued benefits of establishing a Villanova triumvirate of Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart, each of whom played major roles in Monday's narrow victory. DiVincenzo had 25 points, the last three coming on the triple that put the Knicks ahead for good in the final minute, while Hart had 24 points and 13 rebounds while playing all 48 minutes.
In what was perhaps an attempt to shed his explicit label, DiVincenzo was able to get in a few words about Brunson's ultimate impact, as he's more than familiar with what he adds to a championship puzzle: the two played major roles in each of Villanova's last two national championship runs in 2016 and 2018. They also earned several major Big East Tournament victories at Madison Square Garden during their time as Wildcats before the Knicks came to offer contracts.
"The thing about us is we know what we have in Jalen and that's all that matters," DiVincenzo said (h/t New York Basketball on X)."We know in our locker room he's our MVP. He's our leader and we're going to ride with him."
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks