San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson praised New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson after Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Brunson led the Knicks to an upset win on the road in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, scoring 30 points as New York took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Following the game, the coach on the other side of the court, Johnson, had nothing but good things to say about how Brunson played.
Mitch Johnson Praises ‘Tremendous’ Jalen Brunson
Speaking to reporters after the Spurs lost in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Johnson had nothing but positive things to say about the play of Brunson, who helped lead the Knicks to an impressive win on the road.
“He’s a tremendous player that’s skilled, picks his spots, knows his angles, shoots contested shots without being sped up. He’s a phenomenal player. We just got to keep making him work. Again, he had a phenomenal game, and he got going there and had a few in a row, but 30 points on 31 shots, is something that you want to keep making him work for those points. It’s probably some of the other stuff that we can probably control more than him making or missing shots,” Johnson said.
Although Brunson did take a lot of shots in the game, he made them when they counted, as he scored several clutch buckets late in the fourth quarter that helped the Knicks seal the win.
Knicks Now Favored to Win NBA Finals
After stealing Game 1 on the road, the Knicks are now the favorites to win the NBA Championship.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Knicks are now -140 betting favorites to capture their first NBA Championship since 1973, while the Spurs are now +120 underdogs after entering the series as the favorite.
This is still a seven-game series, so there is a lot of basketball left to play. But the Knicks stealing Game 1 on the road and taking back home-court advantage from the Spurs is massive for them, and it gives them a gigantic edge as they look to win the NBA Finals this season.
That being said, don’t count out the Spurs to come back and win the series.
After all, Spurs fans can expect superstar Victor Wembanyama to bounce back in Game 2 after an uneven performance in Game 1, plus the rest of the team’s supporting cast should play better, too.
This series has just started, and there is a lot more basketball to play. But Brunson certainly made the big shots when they counted, and it helped his team take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Game 2 between the Spurs and Knicks takes place on Friday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. This is going to be a must-win game for San Antonio, as they cannot afford to go down 0-2 in this series as it heads back to New York for Games 3 and 4. It’s a huge game, so look for Wembanyama to step up his game and for Johnson to make the adjustments as the Spurs try to come back to tie up the series at one game apiece.
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