LAS VEGAS (AP) — It took Jalen Brunson some time to remember the New York Knicks' starting lineup in the 1999 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
It took him no time to remember who didn't start those games.
“Not Rick Brunson,” he said.
Rick Brunson — a current Knicks assistant, and Jalen Brunson's dad — was on that 1999 Knicks team that fell in five games to the Spurs in the title series. But, as his kid remembered correctly Monday on the eve
of a Knicks-Spurs matchup in Las Vegas to decide the NBA Cup, he wasn't anywhere near the starting rotation of Latrell Sprewell, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson, Charlie Ward and either Marcus Camby or Chris Dudley at center.
It took Jalen Brunson, who was a couple months shy of turning 3 when those finals were happening, some time to get the starters right — and he needed a big hint before remembering that Ward was the point guard.
For the record, Rick Brunson played just 9.8 seconds in that series. He closed out the second quarter of Game 3 as a sub for Dudley and racked up no stats. But to be fair, Brunson played in the only game the Knicks won in that series.
The Knicks and Spurs play Tuesday night in the NBA Cup final, the first time they've played for a trophy since the 1999 title series.
Some of Victor Wembanyama's new best friends are coming to the NBA Cup final on Tuesday night.
Vegas, prepare for The Jackals.
About 50 “Jackals” — the new-this-season Spurs' supporter group, an idea that Wembanyama had in a nod to how soccer teams and other clubs in Europe have some rowdy backers at every home game — will be in attendance for the Spurs-Knicks game.
About 20 others were there for the semifinal win over Oklahoma City on Saturday night.
For the first time in nearly a month, the Spurs are about to play back-to-back games in the same state.
San Antonio's last 10 games have been played in Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Louisiana, California and Nevada. They remained in Las Vegas, obviously, and will play there again in the NBA Cup title game on Tuesday night.
The Spurs are in a stretch where they'll spend 24 days on the road in a 26-day span. They have logged more than 5,000 air miles on these trips.
“We’ve had 10 games in 10 different states consecutively," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “It allows the guys to get together, have time on the road and they get to interact, exchange and have some time away from the families or loved ones — which is always hard. But it also gives you the opportunity to get close with your crew. And this is the first time this crew has gone through some stuff, so it’s been good to have some adversity and hopefully some positives that we can continue to have some carryover with throughout the season.”
No matter what, there will be an NBA Cup champion representing the Dominican Republic. The Knicks have Karl-Anthony Towns; the Spurs have David Jones Garcia.
Towns would obviously prefer the Knicks win, but said the Cup is a celebration of play from around the world — with the Spurs' star from France, Wembanyama, among the many international players involved with this game.
“It’s a celebration for Latin America too, to have so many people on this big stage, especially Dominicans, let alone two of us going out there and doing what we do best,” Towns said. “Yeah, it’s a bunch of fun. I’m super excited that Latin America gets to get represented. Hopefully the show is great.”
Towns was born in New Jersey, went to college in Kentucky and has spent his NBA career in Minnesota and New York. He considers his roots, however, to be the Dominican Republic — his late mother's homeland, and the country he chooses to represent on the international basketball stage.
The previous two Cup finals were both double-digit affairs. The Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana 123-109 in 2023, and Milwaukee beat Oklahoma City 97-81 last season.
The record for points in a Cup final is 41 by Anthony Davis, then of the Lakers, in 2023.
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