NBA Cup MVP Jalen Brunson Roasts Former Teammate Dirk Nowitzki: “You’ve Lost to an East Team in The Finals”

In the post-match interview of the 2025 NBA Cup Final, Jalen Brunson took shots at Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash.

NBA Cup MVP Jalen Brunson Roasts Former Teammate Dirk Nowitzki: “You’ve Lost to an East Team in The Finals”

Jalen Brunson (Image credits - Firstsportz)

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Jalen Brunson has finally delivered a trophy to the city of New York. It was an impressive victory for the New York Knicks as they recorded a 124-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. It is the franchise’s first title in 52 years since lifting the NBA Championship back in 1973.

Coming off a 40-point game against the Orlando Magic in the semifinal, Jalen Brunson put in another dominant performance, especially in the fourth quarter, as he scored 25 points to go along with four rebounds and eight assists. The performance earned him the NBA Cup MVP award.

While the NBA Cup may not be regarded in the same way as the NBA Championship, it is still a positive sign for the Knicks that they are headed in the right direction. Already a huge fan favorite in the city of New York, the latest trophy is sure to give the Knicks fans a lot of hope and confidence in Brunson to deliver the franchise a third NBA Championship.

The Eastern Conference is often considered to be inferior when compared to the Western Conference due to the level of competition. This season, the East appears to be very open as the likes of the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers deal with long-term injuries to their star players, and the Milwaukee Bucks are yet to get over the drama surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In the post-match interview on NBA on Prime, the NBA Cup MVP took the opportunity to roast Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash for saying the East is wide open.

It (Eastern conference) is tougher than people give it credit for. I know you (Dirk Nowitzki) were in the west your entire career, you’ve (Steve Nash) lost to an east team in the finals 40 years ago. But I did text him (pointing at Nowitzki) the other day, he finally said some kind words to me.

The Knicks guard is currently averaging 28.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists in the regular season and is very much in the conversation for league MVP after claiming the NBA Cup MVP award.

San Antonio Spurs look to build after the finals loss

The Spurs have a lot of positives to take from their NBA Cup Final loss to the Knicks. They are one of only two teams to beat the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the 2025-26 campaign so far. The club find themselves at fourth place in the Western Conference standings with an 18-7 record and remain in a good position for a direct qualification for the playoffs.

The club has built a strong core of young and athletic players. Keldon Johnson is the longest-serving member of the franchise at the moment. Drafted by the Spurs as the 29th pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Johnson has seen all the lows. Since his rookie season, the Spurs have not won more than 34 games in the regular season.

But after drafting a once-in-a-generation player Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs have a very promising future if the Frenchman stays fit and healthy. Despite the loss on Tuesday, Johnson believes the experience of playing in a high-stake matches in the NBA Cup will be crucial as the season progresses.

I feel like when you have the expectation to win, obviously it means more when you don’t. I would say the uncomfortable part is just when you had expectations to win and then you don’t, just how you respond to that is different, because in past years we didn’t have the expectation to [win]. It was different than how it is now.

The Spurs may still lack the championship pedigree and experience needed to make it through the playoffs this season but based on their current form, no team would want to go head-to-head against Wembanyama and his men. They may not be championship contenders for now but they can be considered as the dark horses of the Western Conference.

No parade for the New York Knicks

While the 2025 NBA Cup is the Knicks’ first title since 1973, the main objective for the franchise will be to lift the NBA Championship in June. The Knicks are currently second in the Eastern Conference standings with an 18-7 record, 2.5 games behind conference leaders the Detroit Pistons.

New York Knicks lifting the 2025 NBA Cup
New York Knicks lifting the 2025 NBA Cup (Image credits – The New York Times)

Following the win, Brunson was asked if they would be having a parade in New York. Brunson replied:

I don’t think we are having a parade.

There have been talks about whether there should be a parade and if a banner should be raised for the NBA Cup at Madison Square Garden. While it is unlikely that either could happen, the win will give the Knicks players a lot of confidence as the season moves on.

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