Jalen Brunson finally will play his first game in his former home arena Thursday night, and the Knicks will return to Dallas for the first time since a historic collapse there without him barely one year ago.
Brunson, who left the Mavericks to sign a four-year contract with the Knicks as a free agent in the summer of 2022, sat out their lone visit there in late December of last season due to a hip injury.
The Knicks also lost RJ Barrett in the opening minutes of that game, and they flushed a nine-point lead with 33 seconds remaining in regulation before losing in overtime in a 60-point triple-double performance by Luka Doncic in their lone appearance at American Airlines Center.
Brunson was on the bench that night and received a rousing ovation during a first-half video tribute, but he will be on the court with the Knicks’ five-game winning streak on the line Thursday night against the Mavericks, who will be without Doncic (sprained ankle).
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Jalen Brunson will face the Mavericks, his former team, on the court for the first time since he joined New York. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
“That place meant a lot to me, it means a lot to me,” Brunson said after Tuesday’s home win over the Trail Blazers. “My first four years [in the NBA], they introduced me to the league, they gave me my chance, they built me up. The organization and those guys over there, they mean a lot to me.”
Of course, there also was a great deal of back-and-forth between the two franchises late last season, with the Mavericks tanking games and missing the playoffs to prevent a top-10 protected first-round pick from the 2019 Kristaps Porzingis trade from conveying to the Knicks.
Former Mavs owner Mark Cuban also made headlines last April when he blamed Brunson’s parents, including Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, for the point guard’s defection to the Knicks in free agency the previous summer.
“Where it went south was when Rick took over, when the parent took over, or parents took over,” Cuban said.
Mark Cuban AP
The “Shark Tank” star added that the Mavericks weren’t permitted to negotiate with Brunson and his agents before the free-agency period opened on June 30, and the former Villanova star inked a four-year deal worth $104 million.
“We didn’t know what the bid was,” Cuban said. “They never gave us a number. Knowing the numbers now, I would’ve paid it in a heartbeat, but he wouldn’t have come anyway. There’s just no possible way that it was about money.”
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The 27-year-old Brunson returns to Dallas now with a strong case to receive his first All-Star designation this year after being overlooked for the honor in his first season with the Knicks. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week is averaging career highs in points (25.6 per game), assists (6.4) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.6) through the Knicks’ 22-15 start.
Brunson declined to answer a question Tuesday night about last year’s giveaway loss in Dallas, in which his former backcourt mate, Doncic, became the first player in NBA history with at least 60 points and 20 rebounds in a triple-double. That included an intentionally missed free throw and game-tying put-back by Doncic with one second remaining in regulation and seven more points in overtime.
NBA teams had been 0-13,884 over the previous 20 seasons when trailing by at least nine points with no more than 35 remaining in regulation, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
More than one year later, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau still was lamenting blown officiating calls from that loss.
“We had everyone out in that game … and basically, it was a free-throw rebound at the end of the game,” Thibodeau said after Tuesday’s game. “And I think that we had some calls go against us that were incorrect. I remember it vividly.”
Despite heightened security around World Cup matches at Dallas Stadium, Arlington police say eight people have now been arrested for attempting to enter games without tickets.
The latest arrests occurred Saturday during the Argentina vs. Jordan match. NBC 5 Investigates found similar incidents have happened multiple times during the tournament.
Police said all eight people arrested have been charged with criminal trespass.
On Saturday, Arlington police arrested 32-year-old New Zealand national Catalina Gambadoro, 26-year-old Argentine national Alejo Melgar and 18-year-old Kareem Kakour, who has an Indiana address.
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According to police, the three were apprehended quickly and did not make it inside the stadium. However, police said at least four people arrested this month were able to gain access to the venue before being caught.
NBC 5 Investigates obtained police reports detailing arrests made on June 22 during the Argentina vs. Austria match.
According to the reports:
• Gerardo Nielsen, 46, of Cordoba, Spain, and Juan Ignacio Campoamor, 35, of Hollywood, Florida, unlawfully entered AT&T Stadium property without effective consent. Police said both had noticed that entry without a ticket was prohibited and pushed through a hole in a fence to gain access.
• Leandro Ayala, 46, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, allegedly jumped a fence to gain access to AT&T Stadium without purchasing a ticket. Police said he entered the property without the owner’s effective consent despite notice that entry without a ticket was prohibited.
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• Federico Llach, 45, of Plano, allegedly crossed ticketed barriers and trespassed into AT&T Stadium.
Earlier in the tournament, on June 14, police arrested Ryan King, 39, during the Japan vs. Netherlands match. According to a police report, King attempted to climb a security fence and enter the stadium before it opened to the public.
Officers quickly located and arrested him. The report states that officers determined he intended to watch the match without purchasing a ticket.
Security measures at the stadium include vehicle barriers, metal fencing around the perimeter, and a heavy police presence at entry checkpoints.
After the initial arrests, Arlington police said they were reviewing security procedures. It remains unclear whether any security changes have been implemented following the additional arrests.
J.D. Miles is an award-winning reporter who has been covering North Texas for CBS 11 since 1996.
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/ CBS Texas
It’s called a blue card survey. But some residents in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas believe it could be their ace in the hole and their fight against the proposed development.
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The 2019 tornado left a trail of destruction in North Dallas, including Victor Toledo’s home. He said been able to rebuild along with others in his neighborhood.
But he says one area is still an eyesore.
“It’s become a very desirable neighborhood, other than that one corner, that one corner is still stuck six years ago with the old office buildings,” said Toledo.
That “one corner” he’s referring to is the southwest side of Preston Road in Royal Lane.
It’s where developers want to build an $800 million 19-story resort hotel, apartment building, and mixed-use development.
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There are signs all around Preston Hollow opposing the project.
A recently completed survey of residences within 500 yards of it reveals just how strong the opposition is.
City of Dallas survey:
258 opposed
7 in favor
18 no response
Margaret Chabris hopes the city’s planning and zoning commission, which meets again on Aug. 6, will take the results of the survey seriously.
“It does have an impact because this is what the city wanted to know, and this is the chance that residents and property owners right here can voice their opinion; it should have a considerable impact.”
But some residents, like Toledo, believe the benefits of the development outweigh concerns about traffic and construction.
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“It’ll be great for the neighborhood to have that kind of amenity,” Toledo said. “To have hotel options, new restaurants. Now it’s a vacant old building that wasn’t being used much.”
