There’s something different about playing in the NBA Cup, Brunson admits

When the New York Knicks lifted the NBA Cup after a 124‑113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, point guard Jalen Brunson didn’t talk just about winning silverware - he was keen to immediately put the victory down to how his side handled the pressure of the occasion.

For a franchise that has not claimed a title of any kind since 1973, capturing the NBA Cup was a once-in-a-generation event for fans. This year’s edition, held in Las Vegas, showcased a brand of basketball that Brunson said brought out something intense, competitive and kind of unfamiliar, even to veteran players.

“A game like this, an environment like this, you don’t really see around the NBA too often,” Brunson, who scored 25 points and got eight assists, said. “We got to take advantage of the experience that we got here. I mean, those guys will.

“We found a way to win, that’s it. Being down 10 in the third and them kind of controlling the game throughout the game. Us just finding a way. Going on the run in the fourth with the help of our bench, it was big-time.”

Brunson’s performance throughout the tournament was electric. Across six games he was consistently one of the Knicks’ most dangerous players and finished the final with 25 points and eight assists.

Pressure, pressure, pressure

“Anytime you can participate in any event where you’re the last one standing and you’re able to hang a banner, you take that seriously,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “And all of our guys took that seriously.”

“During the course of the year, you try to find situations to put pressure on your group,” he said. “This is a single-elimination tournament when you get to a certain point. Every game counts. There’s pressure on every game if you expect to be who you think you are.”

“That pressure is manufactured without you as a coach having to try to do it all the time,” Brown added. “When you’re able to have success doing it, it breeds confidence in everybody within the organization. That can propel you come the right time when you’re in that environment to be able to handle the pressure because you’ve already been through it.”

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On a night where they made history, New York shot 46.7% from the field, including 15 of 40 (37.5%) from 3-point range, claiming their first honours in a generation.

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