Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon isn\u2019t backing down from her opinion that a short guard can\u2019t lead a team to an NBA title, even after what Jalen Brunson did Monday night.<\/p>\n
Brunson, who is listed at 6-foot-2, led the New York Knicks to a 130-93 Game 4 win to complete an Eastern Conference finals sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers. His play has the Knicks in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 and pursuing their first championship since 1973. Hammon still doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s enough yet, and, even though it\u2019s been two years since she aired her original reservations, she hasn\u2019t been dissuaded from her intended point.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said,\u201d Hammon said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why everybody\u2019s so stuck on that. I said it two years ago. I stand by it. There\u2019s no air to be cleared. I said what I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe proves me wrong. He proves me wrong. Good for him, but I do think the two best teams are in the West.\u201d<\/p>\n
During a December 2023 episode of ESPN\u2019s \u201cNBA Today,\u201d the three-time WNBA champion said no small player can lead a winning team. When she made her comments, the Knicks were 16-11 and chasing home-court advantage in the East.<\/p>\n
ESPN analyst and former NBA center Kendrick Perkins brought up Brunson in reply. Hammon responded that the guard was \u201ctoo small.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your best player is small, you\u2019re not winning,\u201d she said, with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry being her lone exception.<\/p>\n
Brunson finished fifth in MVP voting that season and has since led the Knicks to two Eastern Conference finals appearances. He finally led the Knicks over the hump in this most recent series against the Cavaliers as they seek the franchise\u2019s third NBA title. He averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists per game in the sweep. In Game 1, he scored 17 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, spearheading a 22-point New York comeback win. Brunson took home the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy for his efforts.<\/p>\n
Hammon still wasn\u2019t convinced. She\u2019s seen great, smaller guards get to this point before.<\/p>\n
\u201cAllen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the Finals,\u201d Hammon explained. \u201cI think the two best teams are probably in the West.\u201d<\/p>\n