Jalen Brunson is officially the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. The Knicks guard was named the unanimous winner of the award after leading New York to a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers, capping one of the most impressive playoff runs in recent franchise history.
Brunson averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists per game in the conference finals while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. He carried the offense in critical moments, made every read against Cleveland’s defensive schemes, and turned in two of the most clutch fourth quarters of his career when the Cavaliers tried to make late runs.
The unanimous vote is the most telling part. There were no debates about who deserved this trophy. The voters watched four games, saw what Brunson was doing on both ends of the floor, and made the easiest call of the playoffs.
From Backup to Conference MVP
It is hard to overstate how unlikely Brunson’s path has been. He was a second-round pick out of Villanova. He spent his first four NBA seasons in Dallas as a backup to Luka Doncic. The Mavericks let him walk in free agency because they did not believe he could be the lead guard of a contending team.
The Knicks signed him to a four-year deal that looked like an overpay at the time. Three years later, that contract is one of the best values in the league. Brunson is an All-NBA guard. He just took home the conference finals MVP. He has the Knicks four wins away from a championship.
This is what happens when a player and a team find the right fit at the right time. New York gave Brunson the ball and let him run the offense his way. He responded by becoming the best version of himself. The Mavericks have to live with the fact that they gave away a franchise cornerstone for nothing.
What This Means for the Finals
Brunson is now the engine of the team most likely to win the NBA championship. The Knicks have momentum, depth, and the best coach they have had in two decades. Brunson has the confidence of a player who has been doubted his entire career and proved every doubter wrong.
The Western Conference matchup is still being decided, but whoever comes out of that side is going to have to figure out how to slow down a guard who has not been slowed down all postseason. The Spurs have Wembanyama. The Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort. Both teams have answers on paper. Neither has actually had to defend Brunson in a Finals setting.
For now, the conference finals MVP trophy goes on Brunson’s mantle next to whatever else he has collected over the past few years. He has earned every bit of the recognition.
The Knicks have one more series to win. If they do, the conference finals MVP will be the second-most valuable trophy Brunson takes home this June. The bigger one is sitting somewhere in the NBA’s offices waiting to be handed out.
Four wins. That is all that stands between Jalen Brunson and the kind of legacy that lasts forever in New York.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
