Mike Brown speaks about how Jalen Brunson lived up to MVP expectations in Game 1 win

Ahead of the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks had an 11-game winning streak dating back to their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. After that series, they won two series in sweeps, proving they are one of the best teams in the league.

Now that they are in the Finals, they are still considered underdogs against the young San Antonio Spurs team led by Victor Wembanyama. As the Knicks' best player, Jalen Brunson proved the doubters wrong while playing the MVP-level basketball expected from him.

Jalen Brunson has lived up to Mike Brown's MVP-level expectations

For the entire 2025-26 season, Knicks head coach Mike Brown has called Brunson an MVP-level player. He has wanted more people to show respect to Brunson because he is the Knicks' best player.

Even if he is a smaller guard, Brunson manages to find ways to keep scoring and leading the Knicks to victories. That was what happened in Game 1, as he scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter.

MORE: Jalen Brunson does not take sole credit for the Knicks' Game 1 win vs the Spurs

It might not have been the most efficient night of Brunson's career, but that goes out the window when it comes to getting wins. As long as the Knicks get a victory, that is a big result for the team and its fans.

Brown wanted to highlight how big Brunson has been for the Knicks. They won't be here if not for his performances, and Brown has always had high expectations for Brunson, and he is living up to them.

"He's a gamer. In the biggest moments, he shows up. That's what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands, we said we were going to live and die with him, and he went, and he got it done for us," Brown said in his post-game interview after Game 1.

Ahead of Game 2, the pressure will be on Brunson to live up to those expectations again. However, he has continued to prove that he is one of the best players in the league, and he is ready to lead this Knicks team to a championship.

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• Jalen Brunson avoids a major injury scare in the Knicks' Game 1 win vs the Spurs
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• The impact of Mitchell Robinson's injury on the NBA Finals
• Victor Wembanyama is already raring to bounce back in Game 2 of the NBA Finals
• How Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks' Game 1 win