The get-in price for Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden is a staggering $7,500.
On Thursday, Knicks captain Jalen Brunson was asked what kind of show he’d shell out such an exorbitant sum to watch.
“That’s a good question. A live Michael Jackson performance,” Brunson responded.
In other words, Brunson essentially declared he’d not pay $7,500 to watch an NBA Finals game from the nosebleeds.
“A live Michael Jackson performance”
Knicks Try to Take 2-0 Lead
The red-hot Knicks will try to extend their 12-game winning streak on Wednesday after they stole home-court advantage with a 105-95 victory at Frost Bank Center in Game 1. The Knicks rallied back from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter in large part due to Brunson’s heroics. The All-Star guard scored 13 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks outscored the Spurs, 29-19, in the final 12 minutes.
“Jalen, he was the MVP in the second half. He was huge for us,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said after the win, via ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
“He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do, and carried us home. We put the ball in his hands, and he got it done for us down the stretch.”
“I don’t want to say calmness, but I think we know what we have to do,” Brunson said of his 30-point performance. “I think we are a pretty together group. Be able to trust each other and still have each other’s back and know that we just have to keep chipping away, chipping away. It’s just a credit to the mentality that we have as a team.”
Spurs Vow to Bounce Back
Victor Wembanyama missed 15 shots and committed six turnovers in his team’s loss, even though he finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Wemby conceded that the Spurs gave away the game after leading by 14 in the third quarter.
“Felt like some of that was bad offense on our part,” head coach Mitch Johnson said.
“Some of that was maybe at times not being able to square the basketball up and give proper resistance. The offensive rebounds crushed us, 23 second-chance points. We’re up at one point, get them to miss.”
Wemby said he wasn’t worried about the Game 1 loss.
“We had the momentum until late in that game. That’s why I said we let that one go,” he said, brushing off the loss as an anomaly.
“It’s almost not like I have anything to figure out. I have to play normal, not even good [in Game 2]. It’s just [about] doing the right things enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better.”
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Gets Real on Insane NBA Finals Ticket Prices