Quote of the Day (The Knicks’ Mike Brown, on Being ‘Linus’ to Jalen Brunson’s ‘Blanket’)

“What's the dude's name on Snoopy? Linus? He’s got a blanket. I'm Linus, and Jalen [Brunson] is my blanket. He helps me relax throughout the course of a game. That’s what great players do. They keep you poised, they make the game easier for everyone else and they help you get through a stretch.”—New York Knicks coach Mike Brown, on star guard and team sparkplug Jalen Brunson, quoted by James L. Edwards III, “With Brunson Leading the Knicks, The Good Old Days Are Here Now,” The New York Times, May 12, 2026

No less an authority than Walt Frazier has called Jalen Brunson “sagacious” and “tenacious,” even likening him to teammate and fellow Basketball Hall of Famer Willis Reed in his team-first orientation and heart.

Frazier and sportscaster Stephen A. Smith have even gone on record as saying that, if Brunson leads his team to the NBA Championship that has eluded the New York Knicks for a half century, he will rank among the all-time great franchise players.

If you’re like me, you groan when you read statements like this. First, let’s get through these final two rounds of the playoffs (which have become so long that they should be called “tournaments” instead), where potential obstacles loom in the form of injuries (will OG Anunoby be himself again after that right hamstring strain?) and the eventual champion of the NBA West.

Even so, long-suffering fans can applaud what Brunson has done to date: a thoroughgoing demolition of the Philadelphia 76ers (not just a sweep, some wags had it, but a “deep clean”), and long term, making Madison Square Garden a place of relevance and electricity again after years in the doldrums.

Edwards cites important numbers to put it all in perspective:

“Since Brunson came to New York, the Knicks have won at least 45 games every season, including 50-plus wins the last three campaigns. The Knicks won 45 games in a season just one time between 2002 and Brunson’s arrival. New York has reached the second round of the playoffs every year since Brunson donned the blue-and-orange. The Knicks made it out of the first round just once between 2001 and 2022.”

Brunson creates space with his movement off the ball, makes few mistakes, and is positively deadly in the clutch. Moreover, he’s done all of this while standing a mere 6 ft. 2 inches—undersize among the NBA’s behemoths, but a beacon of hope for us normal-size people.

(The image of Jalen Brunson accompanying this post was taken on Apr. 26, 2023 by Erik Drost.)