Hall of Famer Chris Webber on Jalen Brunson’s Knack for Clutch Performances

Everyone wants the secret to Jalen Brunson's fourth-quarter magic, and Chris Webber, who has known him since before he was born, traced it all the way back to a park.

To Webber, clutch is built, not bestowed. It comes from a concentrated focus and the ability, in the biggest moments, to trust the work. And no one logged more of that work than Brunson. Webber attended the McDonald's All-American game alongside Brunson's father, Rick, and has watched the now-famous videos of the brutal workouts Rick put his son through. Webber guarantees that those sessions in the park, back when Brunson could not see the end of the road, were mentally harder than anything he faces in an NBA fourth quarter. They made him.

Webber also hopes Brunson is teaching the next generation a lesson: have a mid-range game. Brunson does not just stand out there and launch threes, and neither, Webber pointed out, does Stephen Curry, who is among the best finishers alive. Along with SGA, Brunson is proof that you cannot be a stand-still specialist, that you have to take the ball to the rim, miss some layups and play physical. The mentality is the hard part, and Brunson built his through upbringing, expectation and relentless work.

The conversation turned to Rick Brunson again through a Mike Brown soundbite. Brown admitted that he and his players lost their focus in the middle of the game, all of them barking at the officials, until Rick Brunson told them, in blunt terms, to be quiet and leave the refs alone. It refocused the team's energy in the second half.

Webber said that tracks completely. That is exactly who Rick Brunson is, as a player, a Knick and a father, which is why his son is the same way. Webber added context, noting Rick played for John Chaney at Temple, where complaining was never an option. You want leaders like that in a locker room.

He had equal admiration for Brown, who was an assistant in his Wizards days, Brown's first job, and kept his humility through championships and a Golden State stint. Brown's instincts trace to Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich, and Webber praised how he constantly credits his assistant coaches rather than himself. Those little things, he said, are why people believe the Knicks can topple a Goliath they were never favored to beat.

As for the carping itself, Webber's verdict was simple: shut up and play. A call has never once been reversed because a player complained, and on a good team there is no whining even in practice, where smart coaches let you get fouled so you learn to recover on defense. Crying at officials, he said, only hands them power. The better choice is to refocus, stop giving the refs control, and go be dogs.