Jalen Brunson, Mike Brown open up about Knicks' Madison Square Garden banner decision

The New York Knicks surprised and also delighted pockets of fans when they decided to not hang a banner inside Madison Square Garden commemorating their NBA Cup victory.

After captain Jalen Brunson drained a game-winning three-pointer in the Knicks' thrilling 114-113 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, he spoke with Stefan Bondy of the New York Post about the banner decision. 

Jalen Brunson wasn't asked about NBA Cup banner

"Was I part of the discussion? No," Brunson revealed about the call. "But I kind of don’t see the need for it. But at the same time, it’s not my decision. We have a lot of goals as a team, and I think we achieved one of them winning the NBA Cup. But it’s not something you celebrate. You enjoy it for that time, that day. But there’s a lot of basketball to be played." 

The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks hung banners to celebrate their NBA Cup triumphs, but some Knicks fans who called into sports talk radio programs and who host shows in the market made it known ahead of Tuesday's final that they didn't think winning the in-season tournament was a banner-worthy achievement. 

In the end, the Knicks said that they wouldn't hang a banner at "The World's Most Famous Arena" because they have "bigger goals in mind." Brunson has no problem with the decision. 

"Yeah, I'm good with that," Brunson added during his comments. "We still know that we won it. But I'm OK with it." 

Did Knicks have change of heart about NBA Cup banner?

Knicks head coach Mike Brown previously talked to his team about them earning the right to hang an NBA Cup banner at MSG. Before Thursday's game tipped off, he said he didn't speak with his players "specifically" about why people within the franchise seemingly changed their minds. 

"But what I did tell them was exactly what I just said," Brown continued, per Bondy. "'Hey, it was a heckuva run. We can cherish this. We can talk about this for the rest of our lives. We can talk about it with our grandkids at the end of the day. But there’s more to this season.' This is a taste of what we can do. We can’t afford to get comfortable because of winning it at this point in the season. And so we got to go back to work. And it’s going to be tough because everybody is human, and it’s natural to accomplish something like that and then relax to a certain degree, thinking you’ve arrived and now it’s time to take a deep breath. No, no, no, no, no. Now there’s an extra target on our back."

The Knicks plan to celebrate the NBA Cup win when the 19-7 club hosts the Philadelphia 76ers (14-11) on Friday night.