Ahead of Game 2, Knicks star Jalen Brunson drew plenty of praise from Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell.
The Knicks currently lead their Eastern Conference first-round series after stealing Game 1 in Cleveland with a 101-97 road win.
Brunson scored a team-high 27 points en route to the victory as he only continues to impress after signing for the Knicks with a massive four-year, $104 million contract in free agency last summer.
For many critics at the time, the Knicks were heavily overpaying Brunson. However, the Villanova product went on to average 24 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists over 68 games this season to help New York to the No. 5 seed.
Brunson is also a contender for Most Improved Player and given how the Dallas Mavericks struggled without him this season — not even making the Play-Ins — it's fair to say he is finally getting his flowers.
That's certainly the case with Mitchell who has plenty of respect for Brunson and is eager to continue competing against the best like him.
“I've got a lot of respect for him,” Mitchell was quoted as saying by Cavs reporter Chris Fedor. “He's a winner. HS, college, NBA, he finds ways to win, puts teams in positions to win.
“You wanna go and compete against the best. Guys that make you work, guys that make you compete and that's what it is.”
Game 2 takes place Tuesday night in Cleveland as the Cavs will look to level the series.
New York, on the other hand, will be relying on Brunson, Julius Randle and company to steal another road win and take a massive step forward to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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