Rick Brunson — a New York Knicks assistant coach and the father of Jalen Brunson — had some hilarious and impactful advice for his boss, Mike Brown, and the team during Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
On Wednesday night, the Knicks silenced a lot of doubters who thought the Western Conference Finals would actually decide the eventual champions of the NBA instead of the Finals. After four hard-fought quarters and an injury scare to Brunson, New York added to its improbable playoff win streak with a 12th straight victory by a score of 105-95.
Yet getting a Game 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs did not come easy, and the Knicks were down by as much as 14 at one point in the third quarter. Furthermore, after two quarters, San Antonio was going to the free-throw line at a far higher rate. So you can understand if frustration grew among Knicks players during the game.
However, at a pivotal moment when that frustration was at a peak, Jalen Brunson’s father, Rick, had some advice for players and the team’s head coach: “Shut the hell up” and just play.
Rick Brunson told Mike Brown and the NY Knicks to ‘shut the hell up’ in Game 1?
“In the first half, the officials did a good job. They’re human. They’re calling what they see,” Mike Brown said during his post-game press conference. “But I always like to say hello to them at first. I jumped them all right away, and then I apologized to them. I said, ‘Hey, I should have said hi to you guys, at least, first, and then jump you.’ But I didn’t do a good job of keeping my mind present in the game, and neither did our players.
“We were all b****ing too much at the officials, and Rick Brunson was great. He told me to shut the hell up or be quiet and told the rest of the team to be quiet,” he added. “To leave the officials alone. And it was great of him, because we were all losing our minds. I did it, and the rest of the guys did it, and it helped us put our energy elsewhere. Especially in the second half.”
In close games like the one fans saw on Wednesday night, there are a lot of little things that help toward a win. And Brunson’s advice was a key part of the puzzle that helped the Knicks get a big W in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
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After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka ... More about Jason Burgos