Jalen Brunson Springs Eternal

Check it out now. With 6:39 left in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, Victor Wembanyama asks for it. The omnipresent Frenchman calls for a switch after OG Anunoby set a ball screen for Knick Point Lord Jalen Brunson, and Brunson is happy to oblige.

Something to keep in mind–at this point in the game, Brunson is working on an open flame. He has been at the grill for a while, cooking up anything San Antone throws at him, and the Defensive Player of the Year has seen enough.

Brunson walked the tower toward the middle of the floor, moved the ball briefly to his left hand, and then hit the jets. Left-to-right crossover, between the legs, and he’s got him on his hip.

Jalen Brunson is a mad man.

After an inefficient start to the series, Brunson reached heights heretofore unreached by a small guard on that stage. He got loose and went for 36 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in New York’s miracle Game 4 comeback, then turned in one of the greatest closeout games in Finals history: 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, 4-of-7 from 3, and 13-of-15 from the line.

There are a lot of reasons the New York Knicks won their first title in 53 years this season. Brunson is the biggest.

And that is all well and good, but it’s Brunson’s attitude that hits the hardest. The attitude is the reason he looked at the Knicks’ long history of futility and said, “Sign me up.”

Jalen Brunson during Game 2 against the Jazz on April 18, 2022

Thanks to Rick’s son, things went differently for New York this time around. By the time the confetti had settled on the 2026 Knicks’ Finals-clinching win, the King of New York was too emotional to speak.

The work is over. Now they can play.