Jalen Brunson Locked In With Villanova Knicks the Overwhelming Title Favorites

The Villanova Knicks entered the NBA Finals as +180 underdogs to win it all, their inferior regular season record (53-29 to the San Antonio Spurs’ 62-20) and lack of a global superstar like San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama counting against New York.

Nevertheless, the Knicks have a 2-0 series lead and are now overwhelming favorites to win it all, their -500 odds on FanDuel indicating an 83.33 percent chance of taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Villanova product Jalen Brunson is the favorite to win Finals MVP, his odds currently listed at +115. He’s struggled to make shots through the first two games, going a combined 19-for-56, but has still managed to lead the field with an average of 25 points scored. He scored the game-winning free throw in Game 2 after the Knicks blew a 14-point lead in the last six minutes.

Brunson remains focused on the game in front of him, refusing to look at or even stand in the same room as the coveted trophy as the NBA promotes their marquee event. Asked about his reluctance during the Finals media day, Brunson wouldn’t give the press anything to bite on, “no comment” his only response — you can watch the clip here.

That killer instinct helped Brunson win a pair of national championships during his time at Villanova alongside current Knicks teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Their hall of fame head coach Jay Wright’s holistic approach to leadership focused on the principle of ‘attitude’ and controlling what one can control provided another crucial element.

The Knicks will continue their NBA Finals run at 8:30 p.m. on Monday, June 8 as the series heads back to New York.