"The King of New York" is now the King of the Eastern Conference.
Jalen Brunson was named the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP shortly after leading the New York Knicks past the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 and to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
While Brunson put up a modest 15 points and five assists in a 130-93 drubbing to secure the series sweep, he entered Monday averaging 29.0 points, 8.7 assists and 1.3 steals on 57.7 per cent true shooting through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Brunson received all nine votes from a media panel covering the Eastern Conference Finals.
Brunson's 28.1 points per game in the playoffs prior to Game 4 were second in the NBA and his 6.7 assists ranked eighth.
The three-time all-star now has the Knicks four games away from their third championship and first since 1973.
He's the fifth player to win the award since the NBA started handing it out in 2022, joining Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).
