NBA Notes: Knicks, Jalen Brunson, Mavericks, Michael Finley, lottery reform

Knicks

Knicks star Jalen Brunson didn’t exactly look comfortable in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Instead, he battled through a rough shooting start, a sore knee and an ankle scare before ultimately doing what he’s done all postseason.

He took over when it mattered most.

Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as New York rallied past San Antonio to steal Game 1 and move three wins away from a championship.

The performance only added to what has become a rapidly growing legacy.

Knicks legend Walt Frazier compared Brunson’s toughness to Hall of Famer Willis Reed and praised the point guard’s ability to keep fighting through adversity.

“He’s got the tenacity of Willis Reed and he’s got my cool,” Frazier told The Athletic.

Former Pistons great Isiah Thomas also offered a strong endorsement, arguing that Brunson belongs among the small guards capable of leading a team to a title.

“He’s just a winner,” Thomas said. “When you put him between the lines with those guys, his teams win and those guys’ teams lose.”

Three more victories and Brunson may have an entirely new place in NBA history.

Mavericks

Mark Cuban may no longer control the Mavericks, but he still has opinions about the organization’s future.

Speaking on the House of Haymaker podcast, Cuban said he has encouraged new president Masai Ujiri to keep longtime executive Michael Finley in the front office.

“Finley is our legacy guy,” Cuban said. “You need somebody there that’s a connection to the past.”

Finley has spent nearly two decades with the organization as both a player and executive and served as co-interim general manager following Nico Harrison’s dismissal.

According to Cuban, Ujiri listened to the recommendation but offered no indication of what decision he might ultimately make.

NBA Lottery

Commissioner Adam Silver says the league felt compelled to act because tanking had become increasingly accepted around the league.

Speaking before Game 1 of the Finals, Silver defended recently approved lottery reforms designed to discourage teams from intentionally falling in the standings.

“Tanking is not a new issue for this league,” Silver said, via ESPN. “What surprised us all a little bit is how quickly it became acceptable behavior.”

Silver suggested as many as a third of the league’s teams were responding to incentives created by the draft lottery system, particularly with a highly regarded draft class on the horizon.

As a result, the league concluded that immediate action was necessary.

Whether the changes work remains to be seen. But the NBA is making it clear that losing on purpose is no longer something it wants teams to view as a viable strategy.