The New York Knicks secured the NBA Cup with a 124-113 comeback victory over the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Brown praised Jalen Brunson, the NBA Cup MVP, while emphasizing the contributions of his teammates. “Great team win, obviously the MVP is Jalen and I hope now on this stage when you start talking about MVP candidates, his name is one of the first to come out your mouth because on this stage to go get it done while winning…you guys do your job,” Brown said.
The coach detailed the impact of key bench players down the stretch. “Tyler, Mitch and Clarkson…they brought a level of physicality. We told these guys, San Antonio’s a great team…having a guy like Kornet and a guy like Wembanyama, those guys are huge. Offensive rebounding, deflections…all of those things changed the game,” Brown explained. He also highlighted Ariel Hukporti’s contributions during limited minutes.
Brown underscored the team’s standards of competitiveness and accountability. “Our standards are about sacrificing, connectivity, competitive spirit, a belief in the process and a belief in each other, which is huge. No matter who’s out there, belief in each other while holding everybody accountable,” he said.
Reflecting on Brunson’s leadership, Brown noted the guard’s team-first mentality. “He’s an unbelievable competitor, but an unbelievable teammate…you talk about Tim Duncan, Steph Curry…they’ll mention their teammates because they know this is a team sport,” Brown said.
Brown also spoke to the long-term impact of the NBA Cup format. “During the course of the year, you try to find situations to put pressure on your group…you’ve got to give Adam [Silver] a lot of credit to create an environment like this because it helps us coaches put pressure on your group early in the season,” he said, adding that the experience could boost confidence heading into bigger moments.
On experimenting with lineups, Brown stressed the value of flexibility. “When they step up and they do during their opportunity…gives everybody else confidence around, from the coaches to their teammates…we could play three small guards at one time because we’re able to do certain things out there,” he said.
The Knicks erased a second-half deficit behind OG Anunoby and Brunson, who combined for 53 points. San Antonio had controlled much of the first three quarters, but New York’s decisive 13-1 run late in the third period secured the lead they never relinquished.
New York dominated the glass 59-42 and scored 56 points in the paint, with Mitchell Robinson collecting 15 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and 11 rebounds despite a calf issue.
The victory came with a financial reward, as each Knicks player on a standard contract earned $318,560 for winning the tournament. Both teams remain atop their divisions at 18-7, and the game does not count toward regular-season standings.
