Knicks' Jalen Brunson Reveals How He's Staying Focused for NBA Finals

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are preparing for their team’s first NBA Finals since 1999, giving the players and city plenty to be excited about.

It also shows them being discussed both positively and negatively by various critics and sports analysts, with some praising their impressive playoff win streak and others dismissing their chances of actually winning the championship.

All of that chatter can cause tremendous outside noise, affecting players’ mindsets as they approach the seven-game series. New York has become especially known as a tough city in which to play professional sports.

However, Brunson recently explained how he keeps himself focused on the goal at hand: playing basketball to the best of his abilities and helping his team secure an NBA championship.

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“When there’s negative things being said about you, it’s important to ignore them. When they’re positive things about you, it’s easy to read them and feel good. But you can’t do one and not the other. Block it out as best you can,” he told reporters during a recent press conference.

By now, there’s been plenty of criticism hurled at Brunson, including the claim that he was too small to lead a team to a championship. That might still prove true, as they’ve yet to win one, but he’s shown his ability to lead this team through some difficult times, embracing the adversity.

That included the Knicks’ impressive comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who looked like they might seize a Game 1 win in the Eastern Conference Finals in New York. Brunson put on an incredible fourth quarter and overtime performance to help his team come back from down 22 and take the 1-0 series lead.

They’ve since gone on to win that series in a sweep, their second straight in these playoffs. The team previously eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 after going 4-2 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

The New York Knicks seem to be clicking and firing on all cylinders at the right time with this 11-game winning streak. They’re now awaiting the winner of the Western Conference Finals, with either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder as their NBA Finals opponents.

Both teams are already listed as favorites by sportsbooks to win against the Knicks. Many analysts, critics, and fans might be saying the same on television or social media, providing yet another reason for Jalen Brunson and his teammates to block out the outside chatter.

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 9:09 PM.