Knicks at Mavericks: Jalen Brunson 'Thankful', Not Vengeful As Tip-Off Looms

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, a former Dallas Maverick, isn't getting caught up in the rivalry between his past and present NBA employers.
Knicks at Mavericks: Jalen Brunson 'Thankful', Not Vengeful As Tip-Off Looms
Knicks at Mavericks: Jalen Brunson 'Thankful', Not Vengeful As Tip-Off Looms /
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Perhaps the Villanova effect is rubbing off on the New York Knicks in another way.

Point guard Jalen Brunson has apparently embraced the Catholic tenet of turning the other cheek as the budding rivalry between the Knicks and Dallas Mavericks continues on Thursday night (8:30 p.m. ET, MSG). 

Brunson is indirectly responsible for taking the New York/North Texas rivalry beyond the gridiron: the point guard spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Mavericks after the team drafted him alongside Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft. He has since signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks in the summer of 2022 and Thursday will mark the first time Brunson appears on American Airlines Center's hardwood as an opponent.

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"I’m definitely thankful for them and what they did for my career," Brunson said as the Knicks prepared at Southern Methodist University on Thursday, per Steve Popper of Newsday. "But I try my best to keep what’s in front of me and not really focus on the past."

"This place means a lot to me," Brunson continued. "The fans were great to me, the organization is great. They had my back. There were definitely ups and downs and stuff like that. But they always had my back. This team and this city gets around its sports teams. They have a great fan base and I’m very thankful for the time I was here.”

Brunson could not play in the Knicks' most recent visit to Dallas just over a year ago, as he was sidelined with a hip injury. Reduced to a spectator, Brunson was forced to watch Doncic embark on a triple-double effort headlined by a 60-point showing in a 126-121 overtime victory. Ironically enough Doncic won't be able to go on Thursday due to an ankle sprain.

Dallas has held a bit of a vengeance against the Knicks (22-15) since Brunson, who has enjoyed a Manhattan-based breakout, moved on. The animosity culminated in calling for a league-induced tampering investigation centered around the hiring of Brunson's father Rick as an assistant coach. The punishment will eventually remove one of the Knicks' second-round picks from their 2025 NBA Draft ledger.  

That's a charge that the Knicks are likely more than comfortable with and Brunson apparently concurs, calling the Knicks experience a "dream come true" in Popper's report. But he reiterated that he holds no ill will toward Dallas, which has since filled the Brunson backcourt void with Kyrie Irving.

“There’s no animosity, no bad blood," Brunson said. "I really wish them all well. It’s just how this business works.”

At least one Knicks teammate isn't buying it, as Isaiah Hartenstein noted Brunson's haircut hints that he's trying to look his Thursday best for his return to Dallas. Hartenstein assured observers that Brunson's coyness won't affect his standing with the Knicks, who will do everything in their power to push their winning streak to six against their new enemy.

Knicks at Mavericks Preview: How, Who to Watch in Brunson's Homecoming

“We’ve got to win regardless, but for him it’s something special," Hartenstein said in Popper's report. "It probably means a certain amount to him. I’m going to go in there and play hard regardless of who we’re playing against. But, definitely, we’ll try to do a little bit more for him for sure.”


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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks