NEW YORK -- If the day before Madison Square Garden's first NBA Finals game since June 25, 1999, was any indication, Monday's Game 3 between the Spurs and Knicks will be a circus.
On Sunday, rappers and Knicks fans Jadakiss and Fat Joe sat in the back of Mike Brown's news conference, with the latter -- a sneaker aficionado -- teasing the Knicks coach about his footwear choices during games.
Actor Ben Stiller was there, too, recording Brown on his phone, just as he has documented many critical moments in the past two playoff rounds from his courtside seat. Brown, meanwhile, was thrilled to announce to everyone that he had met Stiller.
Ticket prices are sky high, to the point forward Josh Hart lamented Knicks fans being unable to get in the door like they had for years as the team struggled to get back into contention.
"I feel like a lot of people who have been waiting for this moment for a very long time unfortunately aren't able to get into the building, when the cheapest ticket is seven or eight thousand dollars," Hart said. "So that's ridiculous. But it's just going to be rocking. But obviously I wish those were a little cheaper."
It would be easy to get wrapped up in all the hoopla, but Jalen Brunson was having none of it. The leader of the Knicks showed up to the Garden with a steely approach, knowing a 2-0 series lead doesn't mean his team has the NBA title locked up.
"I think playing better with the lead that we had, the 14-point lead," Brunson said. "The way they fought back and took the lead is just a credit to how good they are."
The Knicks held on in a 105-104 Game 2 thriller Friday, becoming the third team in league history to win the first two NBA Finals games on the road. The others -- the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets -- went on to win the title. But both of those teams had recent championship experience, the Bulls completing the three-peat and the Rockets improbably going back-to-back as a No. 6 seed.
The Knicks, title-less since 1973, aren't in the same position, hence the extra energy surrounding this team. But Brunson seemed to mimic Kobe Bryant, whom he met as a high schooler in Illinois, when addressing his own focus. Asked if he'd watched any of Bryant's old film from his seven NBA Finals appearances to pick up anything from his "Mamba Mentality," Brunson said no.
"I think the way I carry myself, the way I do things, is a credit to how I was raised by my parents," he said. "But also part of their philosophy I think seeps into the Mamba Mentality, as well. So, there's a connectivity there.
"I do my best to stay present in the moment, to do the things I can to make sure my mind is right. Being mentally and physically ready every day. Trusting my work. That's what's gotten me here."
Brunson hasn't gone off yet in this series, partly because of the Spurs' defensive attention and physicality with him. He's shooting 34% in the first two games, which would be his worst playoff showing if it stands.
But it seems unlikely to hold, especially considering he shot around 50% in the past two playoff rounds, as the Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
"He uses a lot of counters," forward OG Anunoby said. "He's relentless. Doesn't matter if he is missing shots or making shots, he's always the same way, always composed and poised and always aggressive."
Brown knows Brunson is the focal point of the Spurs' defense. He experienced that scenario in 2022 as an assistant coach and point man for the Golden State Warriors' defense when they faced Brunson and the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
Brunson played well, averaging 18 points on 46% shooting and 41% from 3-point range as the Mavericks lost in five games. It was the last series Brunson played for Dallas; he signed with the Knicks that summer.
"As a defensive coordinator, this is just me, going into that series, my concern wasn't Luka [Doncic], my concern was Jalen," Brown said. "We put Draymond Green on Jalen. That's how concerned we were. Because we needed a bigger, stronger, tougher guy to try to do it or to try to slow him down at that time."
Brunson routinely has said he won't take stock of anything in the moment, not even when the anticipation and excitement culminate Monday night before tipoff.
"Not until it's over," he said.