The New York Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Eleven consecutive playoff wins. Back-to-back sweeps of the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers. A 130-93 blowout to close it out on Monday night.
At the center of all of it has been Jalen Brunson. The numbers tell part of the story. The presence tells the rest.
Coach Mike Brown knows exactly what that presence reminds him of.
Brown Makes Bold Brunson Comparison
GettyNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson celebrates. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Brown was asked about the kind of leader Brunson has been throughout this postseason run. His answer referenced two of the greatest winners the NBA has ever produced.
Tim Duncan and Stephen Curry. Two different players. Two different eras. One shared quality that Brown identified immediately.
Brown described “the quiet strength that they have” as unbelievable, placing Brunson in that same category of leader. He was not drawing a comparison between their playing styles. He was identifying something more fundamental. The ability to settle a room. To carry a team without making noise about it.
Brown has seen both forms of leadership up close throughout his coaching career. Duncan led the San Antonio Spurs with quiet authority across five championships. Curry shaped the Golden State Warriors dynasty without ever needing to make leadership loud. When Brown sees those qualities in Brunson, it is not a throwaway compliment. It is a championship coach recognizing something real.
“They’re not the same player, but the aura that those guys have, the quiet strength that they have, is unbelievable.”
Why the Comparison Resonates
GettyJalen Brunson being guarded by Stephen Curry.
Brunson’s scoring has been the headline throughout this postseason. He finished Game 4 with 15 points and zero turnovers in the clincher, a performance that reflected exactly what Brown described. No unnecessary risk. No moment too big.
The Knicks fell behind Atlanta 2-1 in the opening round. They have not lost since. Eleven straight wins by an average of nearly 24 points per game. That kind of run does not happen without a player who keeps the group calm when things get difficult.
Karl-Anthony Towns provided the firepower Monday with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Landry Shamet went 4-for-4 from three off the bench. But Brunson’s steadiness has been the constant throughout, the thread that connects every win in this run.
Brown has watched enough championship basketball to know what that looks like. His comparison to Duncan and Curry was not accidental.
What It Means for the Knicks
New York will face the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, with that series tied 2-2. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is June 3.
The Knicks’ last two championships came in 1970 and 1973. A third would be the most celebrated moment in franchise history in over 50 years. And if it happens, Brunson’s leadership will be at the center of the conversation.
Brown made sure everyone knows he sees it coming.
Final Word for the Knicks
Duncan. Curry. Brunson.
Brown has been around greatness. He knows what quiet leadership looks like in a locker room and on a basketball floor.
The Knicks are in the Finals. Their leader got them there.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Gets Bold Steph Curry Comparison After Reaching Finals