NBA FINALS: KNICKS VS. SPURS

June 10, 2026

Jalen Brunson

New York Knicks

Game 4: Postgame

New York Knicks 107, San Antonio Spurs 106

JALEN BRUNSON: Real quick before we get started, just want to say hearts and my thoughts and prayers are with a friend of mine, I got to meet and talk to last week, Jonathan from North Carolina from the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Garden of Dreams Foundation.

He had a heart condition, and it was just asked of me to kind of take a video and reach out to him, but something in my mind told me just to try to get him on FaceTime, get to chat with him, and I got the pleasure to do so.

It was a quick call but it was well worth it. I just wanted to say my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Just found out some news about him today.

So may God rest his soul.

Q. Sorry about that, man. What was your viewpoint of OG's tip-in?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah -- sorry.

I was top of the key. Got a decent look. Obviously, it was a little far. Had two guys contesting, so was able to get some pressure off the rim. Got a good bounce off the rim and OG being OG just made a play.

Q. You guys have come back from down 20-plus so many times over the last two playoff runs, halftime comes around. Mike says he didn't show you guys any film at half. What was going through your mind when you guys were down 29? Are you a vocal guy when you guys are down like that? Do you say a lot to the locker room? What's your approach at that point?

JALEN BRUNSON: Really wasn't that much to be said at that point. It was really just we need to chip away. We need to hit singles, get on base and make plays from there.

I feel like we did that tonight and we found a way to really just continue to do the things that helped us get to this point, and it would be huge for us to kind of build off that for next game.

Q. These games have been down to the wire every time. I'm curious how do you emotionally go through -- how emotionally draining are these games and how do you sort of refill it in 48 hours?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, it was a lot. Just happy that we found a way to come away with a win. Got a lot to learn these next couple days but our mentality has to be 0-0, the way it's been. It has to be that way, and I feel like us moving forward with that mindset can really benefit us, but just there's nothing -- there's nothing to celebrate. It's not over yet, not even close.

Q. You and Jose had not really shared the floor very much since he came over at the trade deadline, only maybe a hundred minutes or so. Obviously really successful in the fourth quarter. What does having him on the floor allow for you and what did that open up tonight against San Antonio?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, I think he did a great job of coming in and changing the game. I've always said this, the work ethic that these guys have in this locker room allows them to be prepared whenever their number's called, and the way he came in and changed the game and did the things that he did was great. And we needed literally everything.

Him just being himself propelled us to a win.

Q. What does the word "leadership" mean to you?

JALEN BRUNSON: It means a lot. My parents raised me to never be a follower, always be a leader. I feel like it's something that's helped me grow as a person, and it's a role I enjoy having. I enjoy trying to set the table. I enjoy being able to lead by example and lead vocally, as well. But it's the chemistry with my teammates that allows me to do so.

Q. Your coach said you are the MVP candidate. So which one is most important for you: Championship, being MVP, or peaceful celebration and peace for the entire world or all of them?

JALEN BRUNSON: The most important thing for me is just over these next 48 hours, just focusing on what we've got to do to win Game 5.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of moments here. To see, Mike called it the most iconic shot in Knicks history and biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, when you're on the court there at end, what are you seeing and what goes through your mind as that whole thing goes wild?

JALEN BRUNSON: Just grateful to be on the winning side of that. But we have a lot to learn from and a lot to get better in order to do the things we said we want to do.

Q. The beginning of the series, KAT said that failure shaped this team so that you now know what to do. But how has success shaped your team? Because amazing wins, and this one in particular, will be remembered forever.

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, that word success is rarely talked about in the locker room. We focus on the things we need to get better every single day and not being satisfied with the things that we've done so far.

Very proud of my teammates, day-in and day-out but a lot, a lot that we have to learn from tonight to honestly be better and be where we want to be.

Q. You guys outscored them by 30 points after the Wembanyama flagrant foul, not that you guys needed motivation, but did that provide you guys an extra spark?

JALEN BRUNSON: Not necessarily, no.

Q. Earlier, Coach Brown said that to him you were underrated. Do you have this sense that OG is underrated as a player and can you sum up what he brings to this team?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, OG is someone who brings it every night. Does what's asked of him, plus more, every single night. His work ethic, since the moment I've been teammates with him and seen him, has grown.

His confidence has grown just because of his work ethic, everything that I've seen, he's got exponentially better at.

So regardless of what the outside world thinks of him, we know what we have in our locker room, and we have a superstar in that locker room.

Q. You were way more solid defending in the second half. What do you think changed for that to be possible?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yeah, just be more focused in our attention to detail, and understanding that we had to believe in order to do the things that we wanted to do, and it starts on the defensive end.