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Jalen Brunson couldn’t contain his enthusiasm as he celebrated the Knicks’ triumphant NBA Cup final victory on Tuesday night. In a moment of high spirits, he let slip a colorful word during an interview with Prime Video, though he quickly corrected himself.
Named the Cup MVP, Brunson was eager to shower praise on his teammates following their 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As he spoke, his excitement was palpable.
“OG Anunoby, Tyler Kolek, Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson,” Brunson began, listing his teammates’ names with pride. “They played their ass off tonight. Without them, we don’t win this s–t.”
Brunson, who scored 25 points in the win, stopped himself there and repeated the phrase without the curse word.
“We don’t win this,” he continued. “They played their ass off tonight.”
Brunson was no slouch during the Knicks’ NBA Cup run, finishing the in-season tournament averaging 33.2 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 53 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range.
Brunson was named MVP by a near-unanimous decision, with all but one media voter giving the Knicks guard their vote.
KWTV Sports journalist Steve McGehee was the only voter who did not give Brunson his vote.
After the Knicks won the Cup, Brunson shook hands with every Spurs player before joining in on New York’s celebration.
This MVP award is surely not the only MVP trophy that Brunson is hoping to win this season.
His play this year has earned him some mention in the season-long MVP race, and former NBA big man DeMarcus Cousins made the case for the Knicks star during “Run It Back” FanDuel TV on Tuesday.
“He has every right to be mentioned in this MVP race,” Cousins said. “He’s carrying this Knicks team. … He’s doing it every season.”