New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson didn’t become the best clutch player in the NBA by accident — he embraced the late great Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” to become the most feared late-game shotmaker of his era.
“The way I carry myself and do things is a credit to how I was raised by my parents,” Brunson said. “But also part of the philosophy seeps into the Mamba mentality as well. So there’s a connectivity there.
“I do my best to stay present in the moment and do everything I can to make sure my mind is right — be mentally and physically ready every day and trusting my work. That’s what’s gotten me here. So there’s connectivity about it.”
Incidentally, Brunson’s praise of Bryant came on the 17-year anniversary of the famous press conference after the Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 lead against the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.
When asked if he was happy about the early series lead, Bryant said, “What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished. Job finished? I don’t think so.”
Jalen Brunson Channels Inner Kobe
Brunson has carried a similar, stoic game face since the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs last Friday. He told reporters on Sunday that he has refused to walk around New York, where fans are already celebrating an NBA championship win, as he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself.
“Not until it’s over,” Brunson said of rejoicing with his family and friends.
“They can do what they want,” he added.
Bryant, arguably the most clutch player of his generation, would be proud of Brunson if he were alive today. Since joining the Knicks in the 2022-23 season, Brunson has dominated several clutch categories, notably most fourth-quarter points in the playoffs.
Knicks Eye 3-0 NBA Finals Lead
Brunson and the Knicks are 1.5-point betting favorites to seize a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals on Monday. If they do so, they are almost guaranteed to capture their first championship since 1973 — given that no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, let alone the NBA Finals. Furthermore, the Spurs are already behind the eight-ball after dropping their first two home games. No team has ever recovered from such a hole in the NBA’s championship round.
Karl-Anthony Towns, the new favorite to win NBA Finals MVP, said ahead of Game 3 that he and his teammates plan to play “desperate” as the NBA Finals returns to Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1999.
“We got to be desperate for these fans.” Towns said on Sunday.
“Fans have earned the right and deserve the right to see Finals basketball be played here at Madison Square Garden. For this to be the first game in a long time that they have seen Finals basketball, it’s up to us to bring it, give them something to cheer for, give them something to get loud for and also give them something to believe in.
“I talked about the word ‘hope.’ Hope has been brought back to the city. We’ve revitalized that word. But the word ‘success’ hasn’t been seen in this city for a long time. We have to continue to fight to bring that word back to fruition.”
Knicks vs Spurs Game 3 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
Jalen Brunson Makes Major Kobe Bryant Confession Amid NBA Finals