Knicks’ Jalen Brunson reveals why humbling loss to 76ers might actually be a good thing appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
On Tuesday night, the New York Knicks celebrated their 2026 NBA championship for the final time. Players received their championship rings, and they saw banner number three head towards the rafters. Jalen Brunson, the 2026 NBA Finals MVP, received some deafening cheers from the crowd at Madison Square Garden, akin to a generous king getting some love from his grateful constituents.
But Opening Night marked the start of a new season, and the Knicks, for as incredible as their championship run was last season, cannot cling to the past. The Philadelphia 76ers took advantage of rough outings from a few of the Knicks’ core players, handing them their first loss of the season and spoiling ring night with a 106-101 defeat.
As disappointing as this opening night loss may have been for the Knicks, Brunson believes that this could be beneficial for the team in the long run.
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“I think it’s good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain, humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what’s going to happen,” Brunson said, via SNY Knicks on X.
"I think it's good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain, humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what's going to happen."
Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks losing tonight and how it can help them improve: pic.twitter.com/sDFWPHE4Lh
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 21, 2026
Not everyone believes that championship hangover is a real thing. But the Knicks just finished a grueling 2025-26 campaign, and they won the championship by mounting comebacks in four games in the NBA Finals. That had to have taken a lot out of them.
Moreover, the Knicks needed a reality check; they are now the hunted in the NBA, as every team they face will be looking to measure itself against the reigning champion.
Brunson did mention that this defeat helps put the Knicks players’ egos in check, which must have grown a ton considering how beloved they became after bringing the city of New York its first championship since 1973.
At the end of the day, their loss to the 76ers just counts as one on the loss column. They will look to put this behind them when they face the Boston Celtics on Friday in a battle between two contending teams that lost on opening night.
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