Jalen Brunson got the last laugh on Becky Hammon after New York ended its lengthy title drought by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 on Saturday. Brunson scored a postseason-high 45 points, along with three rebounds and three assists, helping erase more than 50 years of painful memories.
Brunson’s sister, Erica Brunson, didn’t forget what Hammon had said two years earlier. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the game,
“Now what?” in response to a post from two years ago.
The former Spurs assistant coach and current coach of the Las Vegas Aces had famously claimed that Brunson wasn’t a “1A” player on a championship winning team.
She also questioned whether a team led by a smaller star could win a title, saying:
“If your best player is small, you’re not winning.”
Those comments often came up whenever the Knicks lost a game, including after their Eastern Conference Finals loss last season. Hammon also faced significant criticism for her comments. Still, she stood by her assessment of Brunson as recently as last month, insisting that history was on her side. She also admitted that she was open to being proven wrong.
Now, she has been left red-faced after Brunson proved her wrong by leading New York to the championship. The Knicks have been magnificent this postseason, led by stellar performances from Brunson, who averaged 28.4 points, 6.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. The team lost only three games throughout the playoffs.
Jalen Brunson Finally Addresses Becky Hammon’s Criticism
Jalen Brunson heard it all. He heard the criticism and the constant debate about whether he had what it took to end the franchise’s long-standing title drought.
On Saturday, Brunson didn’t just answer his critics, he silenced them with a 45-point performance and a reminder of what happens when one of the league’s best clutch players decides he’s had enough.
“I didn’t respond to them then, and I’m damn sure not going to respond to them now,” Brunson said.
The 6-foot-2 guard may be undersized by traditional NBA standards for a No. 1 option, but time and again he has shown that size is merely a suggestion. Few players can control a game the way Brunson does, and not many possess his level of playmaking ability.
With a championship now in hand, Brunson has cemented himself as one of the greatest players in New York basketball history, and possibly ever.
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