Jalen Brunson moved ahead of Luka Doncic, Dave Cowens in playoff scoring

Luka Doncic: Well, first of all, this is the first city I’ve played in that has an ocean—and I really like the ocean. That was the first thing on my mind after a couple of days. I like it. I like it very much. The only thing is the traffic. -via YouTube / June 1, 2025

Pau Gasol believes the younger generation of European NBA players has raised the level of the game, though he stops short of saying they’ve surpassed his era. “I guess in a certain way, the younger generation has raised the level. Surpassing an older generation is something trickier to say for me,” said Gasol when asked about the rise of stars like Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. -via EuroHoops.net / June 1, 2025

“Even when I talk about older players than me, I don’t feel like I surpassed anybody. I just kept growing their legacy,” he explained. “What some of the great European players are doing today in the NBA is taking it up another step — in growing what we did, in expanding the level of play that we tried to bring.” -via EuroHoops.net / June 1, 2025

During the playoff run, the coaching staff remained cautious of its future, understanding that a first-round loss to the Pistons or even a second-round defeat to the Celtics could mean changes, according to league sources. Thibodeau absorbed criticisms about heavy minutes for the starters, hardly a new critique, but New York’s roster was one of the NBA’s healthiest all season and concluded the playoffs with no one injured. The coach has the backing of team president Leon Rose, league sources said, as well as full buy-in from Brunson, who signed with the Knicks in 2022 in part because he wanted to play for Thibodeau. But ultimately, owner James Dolan is the final decision-maker. -via New York Times / June 1, 2025

Michael Scotto: Jalen Brunson on Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau: “Is that a real question right now? You just asked me if I believe he’s the right guy. Yes. Come on.” pic.x.com/VSJmkGKfaS -via Twitter @MikeAScotto / June 1, 2025

It appeared that this team grew closer throughout the postseason with each improbable win. There were still issues that spilled into the public view, like when Anunoby and Towns were caught on camera arguing on the bench following a blown defensive assignment during the collapse in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. This group went through challenging situations together, several of them, and often came out the other side as victors. There were some within the organization who went into the postseason worried about how this team would handle adversity. Those concerns were quickly erased after capturing multiple nail-biting victories in the first round. “You can’t get experience without getting experience,” Brunson said. “It’s helped out a lot, brought us closer together. I think, for the most part, we see a lot, we hear a lot, but we make sure we’re on the same page together. Regardless of what anyone else says, we got each other’s back.” -via New York Times / June 1, 2025