NBA FINALS: KNICKS VS. SPURS

June 9, 2026

Jalen Brunson

New York Knicks

Practice Day

Q. After a day to watch the film, offensively what are some things you guys can do to improve the flow?

JALEN BRUNSON: Not turn the ball over. Continue to be who we are. Our attention to detail needs to be better.

Q. How do you feel like you've played in these Finals? What do you feel like you need to do better?

JALEN BRUNSON: Most importantly, not turn the ball over, give my team an opportunity. Kind of in the middle. I've played better, but also I played worse.

Q. You guys have talked a lot about your starts to games this season. Three times in the Finals you've gotten off to a deficit in the first quarter. What do you need to do better early in games?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, I just think we need to be ready to go. Very vague thing to say. I think it's very simple, as well. Just need to be ready.

Q. The first couple games of these Finals, they've really picked up their full-court pressure on you. A couple of your highest usage games of the Playoffs. Are those two things connected for you?

JALEN BRUNSON: I mean, they can be connected at times. That goes back to our attention to detail. Understanding where we're supposed to be, doing the things we're supposed to do as a team, and obviously individually, as well.

Remain focused on the things we're supposed to do and understanding the situations that we're in as a team. Just help each other out.

Q. When you got home last night, did it feel like that's a loss and that sucked, or did it feel like it's the first loss in 46 days and was sort of bad in a different way?

JALEN BRUNSON: I think most importantly seeing this last night, win or lose, we're going to have to be here today to understand what we need to do to be better.

And that's our mindset, regardless. Win, we learn; lose, we learn. We understand what we have to do to be better. Giving our team a chance to have the ball and not turn it over. Stop fouling. Like I said, just attention to detail, continue to be who we are.

Q. No different than if you lost a week ago?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, no different.

Q. Game 3 seemed it was all about the narratives, you being the King of New York, Trump coming to the arena. Was it too many side noises? Was it a bit distracting for you guys?

JALEN BRUNSON: Not necessarily. No matter what the narrative is or what's going on, we have to be professional, do what we need to do on the court. We have to lock in, execute our game plan and be together as a team. Win together, lose together. Doesn't matter what the narrative is. We have to be able to lock in and do what we have to do. We've been able to do that.

Last night was no different.

Q. You've talked about attention to detail on offense as far as ball movement. Is that a function of San Antonio being more physical as the game is going on? And you also say stop fouling as much. Is there a connection between physicality and fouling too much? Can you see where the line is?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yes. There's a way for us to do things we have to do, the things that we've done throughout these Playoffs. They're just game-plan discipline. I don't think the discipline we had in those situations were good enough.

We just got to be disciplined in those moments.

Q. You guys had a lot of big victory margins during the winning streak. The games are closer now. What would you say about how you're handling the way they've been played out?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, each game, no matter what the situation is, we're growing as a team. I think we're learning and we're getting better. Obviously before last night...

No matter what the situation is, we're going to stick together. We're going to execute, we're going to be better. That's just how our mindset has to be going forward.

You never really know what the situation's going to be. You never know how the script is going to play out. As long as we have each other's back and we keep fighting, that's what we hope for.

Q. Today we didn't have any activity on the court. If you consider that maybe in this moment of the season sometimes is better to recover and not be on the court practicing? If you consider that fatigue can be an X factor for these Finals?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, not really worried about that. I just think no matter what we did today, we were going to learn and get better, whether it's on the court or in the film room.

That's just how it has to be. Sometimes learning and understanding the attention to detail just by watching, seeing what we did wrong, is just as important.

Long story short, stick together, continue to fight together, continue to fight for each other.

Q. If I recall correctly, when your team made the trade for Karl, I think you said you didn’t know him too well as a person. What have you learned about him as not only a player but as a person? How have you seen your guys' relationship grow?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, he's been a great teammate. He's been a very great teammate. But most importantly, the person he is is fantastic. Like, he's a person who is willing to do whatever to kind of help out, whether he knows you well or not. That's just who his character is, that's just who he is. That translates on the court.

I didn't really know him as well back then. Getting to know him now, it's an unfair narrative of him, but I truly love that dude and everything he's done for this team, this city and as a friend. He's been fantastic.

Q. You're not only the first father-son duo to play in the Finals for the same team. You're living this journey with your dad on the coaching staff. How has this experience shaped you as a man and a player? What have been the biggest challenges, the best and worst part of balancing this family relationship in a pro environment?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, our family relationship is awesome. I know when to decipher when he's being a coach and when he's being a dad. When we're on the court, that's coach. I still call him dad, but he's a coach then. As soon as we get off the court, that's obviously my father.

Our relationship is very unique. It's interesting how people perceive that, perceive us. I wouldn't change anything for the world. My dad being a journeyman in the NBA, us living in South Jersey most of my childhood while he played. So being able to see my dad for the last four years consecutively is probably the longest it's ever been.

I don't take this for granted at all. I love this relationship and this opportunity. I don't take it for granted.

Q. Obviously over the last six or seven weeks, you've created a lot of winning muscle memory and belief among the players. How much do you think that set helps you tomorrow night?

JALEN BRUNSON: It definitely helps. It's also always good to have a reset.