MVP Jalen Brunson? Knicks coach Mike Brown pushes his candidacy
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson gestures after hitting a three-pointer against the Orlando Magic in a semifinal game of the Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Credit: Getty Images/Ethan Miller
LAS VEGAS — It is about 2,500 miles from Madison Square Garden to T-Mobile Arena, but that distance wasn't apparent based on the loud "MVP!" chants echoing through the arena in the fourth quarter Saturday.
Maybe it was Knicks fans crowding in for a week of gambling, a magic show and a chance to see the Knicks win some sort of a title, something that has eluded the franchise for more than 50 years. Or maybe it was just the distant reaches of the NBA buying into what the Knicks already believed — that Jalen Brunson really is deserving of consideration for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.
It would be hard to argue against it Saturday. Brunson defied all of the Orlando Magic's efforts to slow him down, scoring an efficient 40 points to lead the Knicks to a 132-120 win and a berth in the NBA Cup final against the Spurs on Tuesday night.
Knicks coach Mike Brown has begun to push the MVP narrative in recent days and did it again Saturday, answering every question about Brunson with some form of an explanation that that is just what MVPs do.
"There's no campaign speech,” Brown said. “I'm just telling the truth, and he has not gotten enough credit. No offense to you guys, but I try not to read a ton on social media or your guys’ stuff because it can mess with your mind. If you guys are saying good stuff about us, I can get too high, and if you're saying bad stuff, I can get too low. I try to block out all the noise and stay even-keel.
“What I have seen, somebody brings up conversations about MVP and you see a lot of other great candidates that are well-deserving, but I don't ever hear Jalen's name. When you're first or second in either conference and you're putting up the numbers that he's putting up, his name's got to be one of the first names coming out of somebody's mouth. I just hope to see that more — not by the local people in New York, because they get to see him every day, but by the national people, and that's what I want to get across.”
Brunson already has gotten plenty of accolades, whether it was being named NCAA Player of the Year while leading Villanova to a pair of national titles or the two All-NBA honors he’s received since joining the Knicks.
While Brown repeatedly has spoken about this honor and teammates gush about Brunson's ability on the court and off, serving as team captain and steadily guiding the team deeper and deeper into the postseason, the one person who isn’t talking about the possibility is, well, Brunson.
“No, I don't read into that stuff,” he said. “[Brown’s comments] just shows the trust and the faith that he has in me, and I'm very thankful of our relationship over these past couple months. It's only going to continue to get better. Our communication has been great. Yeah, it's a growing experience, a learning experience, but I'm really thankful for our relationship.”
Maybe it’s because what Brunson does, every playground player thinks he can do. He’s not a 7-foot athletic oddity like Giannis Antetokounmpo or a superbly skilled 7-footer like Nikola Jokic. And listed at 6-2 — which, let’s just say, might be generous — he could be the first MVP in that size range since Steve Nash more than 20 years ago. And if he leads his team to a championship, you'd have to go back to Isiah Thomas to find a Finals MVP that size.
Asked if there is anyone who scores better than Brunson at his size, Josh Hart, sitting beside him, might have gotten Brunson to slink down in his seat and seem smaller.
“You know, he's barely a 6-foot guard,” Hart said. Brunson interrupted to comment to the reporter, “This is your fault.”
“He's not physically impressive, not athletic,” Hart said. “But he's able to manipulate the defense. Obviously, big head, so he has a big brain. He's able to figure out these angles and find himself in positions to be successful. You know, inch for inch, I think he is probably the best — best one.”
Brunson insisted he didn’t try to take the game over, taking what the defense gave, but few believed that. As the head guy or an assistant, Brown coached the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry, and in Brunson, he sees the familiar traits he saw in those stars.
“They have a relentlessness to them where they just keep coming and keep coming, and that's their competitive spirit coming out,” Brown said. “Like they get denied, they get doubled, they get hit, there's all types of things that happen, but they keep coming.
“And when you have that, you know your team is in good hands because at the end of the day, no matter what defense you see, no matter how physical your opponent is, he's going to be right there.”
Where he is now is in Las Vegas, pushing his team one step closer to a chance to put up a banner at Madison Square Garden, 2,500 miles away.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
