Jalen Brunson, the King in New York, led the Knicks to a dominant 4-2 series win over the Celtics. All eyes were on Brunson as the Knicks closed out Game 6 at Madison Square Garden with the score 81-119. It was as if New York erupted in the game's aftermath as fans could not believe the Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
Among the celebrations after the game, Brunson headed towards Stephen A. Smith, Fat Joe, and Spike Lee on the sidelines. However, it seemed as if Brunson was not interested in anyone except Knicks fan Stephen A. He seemed to slap Spike Lee's hand away and completely ignore Fat Joe in the video of the interaction. Take a look for yourself and tell me if I'm wrong.
Jalen Brunson ignored Fat Joe lame azz so cold & Im here for it #NewYorkForever Knicks pic.twitter.com/35i7AajcNG
— Ain’t It Mane Content (@SayMane901) May 18, 2025
This is not to be mistaken as a hostile act, as Fat Joe and Spike Lee hail Jalen Brunson among the Knicks' all-time greats. However, Brunson has the funniest dynamics with everyone in and around the team, like his banter with Josh Hart. Joe and Lee have done nothing to trigger or piss Brunson off. Therefore, while Brunson may not have spoken to the duo, he likely does not hold any hostility against them.
Spike Lee and Fat Joe have been very vocal as Knicks fans over several years before Jalen Brunson even joined the team. However, once Brunson did join the team, they had nothing but praise for the star guard. Last year, Joe even hailed Brunson as one of the greatest Knicks players of all time.
"I told y’all Jalen Brunson might be the greatest Knick of all time", he wrote on social media. This was right after Brunson dropped 43 points in Game 1 of last season's Eastern Conference second-round series with the Pacers.
Spike Lee, however, has been vocal about Brunson more recently. He appeared on First Take with Stephen A. Smith and expressed his feelings on the Knicks' star.
“Willis [Reed], [Walt] Clyde [Frazier], Bernard King for the time he was there, Carmelo [Anthony], yeah, I think he’s our guy... He’s putting the whole team on his shoulders," Spike said.
Brunson and the Knicks came out swinging in Game 6 to close out the series at Madison Square Garden and avoid a Game 7 in Boston. They blew the game wide open in the first half as they ended it with a 27-point lead. All six of their main players (starters and sixth man) had double-digit scoring, while four of their five starters had 20+ points. Brunson and OG Anunoby led all scorers with 23 points each, while Mikal Bridges had 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points.
Heading into their series with the Pacers, the Knicks will have a chip on their shoulder to seek revenge for how the Pacers eliminated them from the Playoffs last season. A must-watch series for all spectators and basketball fans.
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