Jalen Brunson probably had two words to say at some point after his New York Knicks got past Cleveland in their first-round playoff series.
“Immaculate vibes.”
We heard that a time or two from the former Maverick last spring when he and Luka Dončić were leading a fun run to the Western Conference finals.
And now, Brunson is in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat, a series that the Knicks certainly have a good shot at winning. They are being given a much better chance than the Mavericks were given last season against Phoenix in the second round.
And they pulled it off.
Now, Brunson’s success is perhaps something from which Mavericks’ fans can get a vicarious thrill. Brunson grew to be a favorite in Dallas and he was universally loved in the locker room as well as the community.
Now, he’s leading the charge for the Knicks, who won a playoff series for the first time in 10 years. And now they have a shot to get to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
Not a bad first season in New York for the 6-1 Brunson, who has been toasted – along with another former Villanova Wildcat and his good friend, Josh Hart – for transforming the Knicks’ culture as well as their fortunes.
“It means a lot,” Brunson said of escaping the first round in five games against the Cavaliers. “We get to play more basketball. And whenever you get to do that, it gives us an opportunity to get better and move forward and continue to see where we can go.”
Brunson has become the face of the Knicks’ franchise and a star in every sense of the word.
He joined Walt Frazier as the only New York point guards with five 20-point games in a single playoff series. He averaged 24 points in the series against the Cavaliers and surpassed Willis Reed (three in 1967) and Dick Barnett (four in ’68) for most consecutive 20-point games to start a Knicks’ career.
And while he doesn’t have any problem keeping both feet firmly on the ground, he’s got a great support system around him with his father/assistant coach Rick and his mother, Sandra.
But having Hart around has made it an even better fit for Brunson, who signed in free agency last summer and that broke the Mavericks’ heart. While we can all wonder what-if regarding Brunson if he’d stayed with the Mavericks, it’s hard to dispute his decision was good for him.
It got even better when the Knicks got the 6-5 Hart in a four-team trade just before the deadline in a deal that sent Cam Reddish and others out the door.
Getting Hart has helped finish the galvanizing process in New York that Brunson started.
And he takes it as his job to make sure Brunson stays humble.
“He’s undersized. He’s overrated, overpaid,” Hart joked at a recent interview session when Brunson was seated next to him.
Turning serious he said: “Yeah, he’s a star player. He showed that last year in the playoffs. He showed that this whole season. He’s continuing to show it. He continues to prove people wrong. And none of us in that locker room or front office or coaching staff are surprised by the way he’s playing.
“He’s very composed. Ne’s never rushed, never rattled, very poised. He’s able to get his own shot and also get other guys involved. That’s what you want in a point guard. That’s what you want as a leader. That’s what you want as one of the stars on the team. And he does that on a nightly basis.”
Brunson and Hart were in the starting lineup together for the Game 5 close-out win against the Cavaliers.
“The last time we were in the lineup together was the Wisconsin game,” said Brunson, referring to the NCAA tournament second-round game Villanova lost to the Badgers in 2017. That was the season in between Brunson’s two championships won with the Wildcats.
As for being back with Hart?
“It’s like fairytale stuff,” Brunson said.
Maybe, but the Knicks have nothing in common with child’s play. They overwhelmed the Cavaliers in the first round, winning the physicality game.
That’s the way their coach, defensive-minded Tom Thibodeau likes it.
As for the Miami series, Brunson knows what to expect against the Jimmy Butler-led Heat.
But he has a plan for dealing with it if things get challenging, which they undoubtedly will.
“We’ll tough it out,” he said, “and find a way to keep going.”
Just like he always did in Dallas.
Twitter: @ESefko
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