For the Knicks, winning the title already was tough.
Defending it will be even harder.
“It will be different, for sure,” star Jalen Brunson admitted Thursday at the event WSJ Sports: The Next Sports Economy. “Obviously, for the first eight years I went through disappointment, obviously losing at the end of the season. And now winning, I think it’s an even bigger challenge. Now, it’s a target on your back. Now, players and teams have changed, they’ve gotten better.
“So, how are we going to evolve as a team? How are we going to figure out what’s the next step for us? And that’s going to be a really big, important question coming in the training camp: How are we going to be better? How are we going to literally look at the trophy, know that was last year and then forget about it? And so, it’s going to be a very interesting training camp to see where our mind’s at. But I’m excited for the challenge.”
Brunson captained the Knicks to a thrilling NBA Finals victory over the Spurs, helping them end their 53-year title drought. As challenging as that was, he knows defending that crown will be even tougher, with the league now in an era of parity.
New punitive financial restrictions, like the second apron of the luxury tax, have led to eight different winners in the last eight years. Though the Western Conference is loaded with San Antonio and Oklahoma City at the top, the East has gotten tougher around the Knicks.
For the reigning champs, standing still could mean falling behind. They’ve already lost center Mitchell Robinson, but they can’t afford to lose their edge as well. Between their truncated offseason, and being toasted and feted and told how great they are, that can be a challenge in its own right.
“Absolutely,” Brunson said. “You definitely lose a lot of time — obviously for the right reason; we got it done — to be able to go through the summer and realize, ‘All right, there’s a lot on your plate now.’
“How are you going to remain hungry? How are you going to remain focused? How are you going to push the envelope for you to be better the next time? So, those are all questions that I believe I have the answers for. I feel like I know what I’m doing to push myself. But only time will tell.”
Brunson is a founding member of the JPMorganChase Athlete Council, which helps athletes handle their finances. The All-Star famously took less money in his extension with the Knicks to help them build out their roster.
It paid off. Once they got back to the Eastern Conference finals — where they’d lost the previous year to the Pacers — Brunson said he knew they had a real shot at breaking through. They put those hard-learned lessons to use, and their series of comeback victories against the Spurs in the NBA Finals closed the deal.
“I think once we got to the conference finals — obviously we lost there a season ago — just getting back there, back to where we were, we understand what we did last time and how can we change that,” Brunson said.
“I think once we started to continue to win there, [I knew] we [would] actually have a chance. But it was I think the best part about it: We just kept chipping away the entire season and just kept chipping away, chipping away. You just never knew when things were going to break through. And having that mindset, then once they actually did, it was kind of a sigh of relief.”
Now, Brunson said he’ll enjoy some downtime with his family, recover from surgery on his left wrist and forearm and then turn his eyes toward a title defense — even if it is with Robinson playing for rival Boston.
“First and foremost, I love Mitch. I’m happy for Mitch. I will always love Mitch except those four times we play him,” Brunson said. “But, that’s my brother. I’m super excited for him. It’s a great opportunity for him. And, yeah, I’m happy … except for those four times.”
