Jalen Brunson’s run to becoming Finals MVP didn’t start when he dropped 45 points in a deciding Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday night.
It didn’t even start when he scored 30 in Game 1 of the Finals, leading the Knicks to a come-from-behind win that set the tone for the series.
Brunson’s run to becoming a unanimous NBA Finals MVP started two summers ago, when he chose to leave $112.5 million on the table and signed a sweetheart extension to stay in New York (if he had waited one more summer, he could have asked for and gotten a five-year, $269 million max deal). Brunson’s sacrifice allowed Leon Rose and the Knicks front office to build a deep, talented roster around him that ended the Knicks’ 53-year title drought.
“He understands what winning is about,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “He comes and he probably takes a pay cut that I wouldn’t have taken. Every time they would’ve thrown that number in front of me, I would have said no, and I feel like I’m a good guy. He set the bar before he even stepped on the floor. Every time it came to renegotiate a deal with him.
“That set the standard. Now, when you take his play into account, it’s off the charts, man.”
Brunson’s performance in the NBA Finals was off the charts, averaging 32.6 points and 4.6 assists a game. Those raw numbers don’t begin to tell the story of what he did, the 6'2" Brunson (and that feels generous) outdueling the 7'5" Wembanyama, being far more clutch and the mature leader his team needed, while the Spurs’ young star was trying to figure out how to be that person and the guy his team needed.
When Brunson signed that extension, did he even think this outcome was possible?
“Very possible. With a lot of hard work and effort, I knew it was achievable,” Brunson said. “But that was only a small portion of it. I think everyone bonding, coming together, having the mindset of just believing in each other, never giving up, no matter what the situation was, made this all possible.”
Brunson may have seen it as possible, but a lot of people — pundits, front office people around the league, some fans — did not. The conventional wisdom has been that an undersized point guard cannot lead a team to the title, that they will get exposed on the biggest stages. Did Brunson have any words for those doubters?
“I didn’t respond to them then, and I’m damn sure not going to respond to them now,” Brunson said.
Brunson beating Wembanyama and the ultra-talented Spurs will take on a mythological status in New York — Brunson will go down as the greatest Knick ever. Sure, there is Willis Reed, but he was a 6'10" No. 10 pick from whom great things were expected. There was the legendary Patrick Ewing and, later, Carmelo Anthony, unquestionable Hall-of-Famers and icons, but guys who could not lift their Knicks teams to these heights.
Brunson did — and he made the sacrifices needed to get there.
That’s a true MVP.
