Knicks fans are still floating after the team’s first NBA title in over 50 years. And Jalen Brunson, the Finals MVP who dragged New York through the Eastern Conference and then dismantled the Spurs in five games, is leaning into every second of it.
Friday night, Brunson showed up at Yankee Stadium for the Yankees-Dodgers series. The guy was wearing a Yankees cap, which isn’t unusual. But the side of it had ‘Knicks in 5’ stitched in white lettering. That’s the series score from the Finals. The Knicks beat San Antonio in five. So basically, he walked into a stadium wearing his own flex on his head.
The Yankees ended up losing to the Dodgers 2-1. But Brunson’s hat won the night.
Brunson averaged 28.4 points and 7.9 assists during the playoffs. In Game 5, when the Knicks closed it out at Madison Square Garden, he dropped 45 points and basically told the Spurs they could go home. After the game, he told ESPN, “It’s everything we ever dreamed of. It’s why I came to New York.”
This Run Was Different for the Knicks
New York hadn’t been to the Finals since 1999. That year, they also played the Spurs. They lost in five. So yeah, there’s some symmetry here. The Knicks went through Atlanta, Philly, and Cleveland before getting to San Antonio. None of those series went to seven games. New York just kept winning, and Brunson kept being the best player on the floor.
He got the Bill Russell Trophy. He got a parade. Now he’s getting custom hats.
“Words can’t describe it,” Brunson said after accepting the award. “But I’ll say I put a lot of time and effort into trying to be the best player I can be to try and help a team win. Just really thankful to have the organization, the coaching staff, my teammates, to have my back every single day. I think that means the most to me. And my family.”
The guy sounds like he’s already locked in for next season. And Knicks fans are already talking about a repeat. The roster is mostly intact. The chemistry is real. And Brunson, for what it’s worth, looks like a guy who wants to make ‘Knicks in 5’ a permanent part of the team’s identity.
It’s been a long time since anyone in New York could walk around with that kind of confidence about the Knicks. Brunson is wearing it on a hat. Probably on purpose. Absolutely earned.
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