Jalen Brunson said he hasn’t been on social media after a WWE star took credit for the Knicks’ playoff run. New York kept rolling with a 119-103 Game 2 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, its ninth straight victory, and now heads to Cleveland needing two more wi
For the ninth straight time, the Knicks found a way to win.
On Thursday night. they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-103 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. pushing New York into the kind of rhythm that makes outsiders start chiming in. Brunson led the charge with 19 points and 14 assists, though he wasn’t scoring as freely as he did in Game 1. Josh Hart was the bigger spark in this one. finishing with 26 points and giving the Knicks another performance built around their starting five.
Now the series shifts back to Cleveland, where the Knicks need two more wins to reach the NBA Finals—something New York is already anticipating.
The unlikely conversation that followed came from wrestling.
WWE star Danhausen has claimed he’s responsible for the Knicks continuing to rack up wins after he previously cursed the team because of Stephen A. Smith, and then uncursed them when a fan paid him money to do it in a Cameo video. At the Knicks’ postgame press conference. a reporter brought it up—mentioning Brunson’s wrestling fandom—and asked what he thought about Danhausen taking credit for the Knicks’ playoff success.
Brunson’s response was simple, and telling in its own way. “I also don’t know too much about it. I’ve been off social media. So I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
The question itself drew a quick kind of laughter. because it’s hard to imagine a basketball press conference where a WWE personality’s curses and uncursings become part of the backdrop. But Danhausen’s been hard to ignore. He has made several appearances where he crashed ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to curse at various teams or people.
Danhausen didn’t just stop at taking credit—he reacted to Brunson’s comments as well, suggesting the Knicks star had “The smirk of someone who is FIBBING.”
This hasn’t been a subtle presence, either. Danhausen’s most recent ESPN appearance featured him claiming the Cleveland Cavaliers were cursed. which left some in-studio analysts and hosts confused. given that they weren’t familiar with his antics. Still, the tone didn’t sound unwanted—especially for Smith, a loyal Knicks fan.
Outside the jokes, the push behind Danhausen’s wrestling intrusion into sports coverage is part of a bigger push. The WWE invasion on ESPN is connected to a strategic partnership promoting events, with ESPN now showing WWE’s Premium Live Events (PLEs), including the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
Back on the court, the stakes are unmistakable: New York is playing for two more wins in Cleveland. And for as long as the wins keep coming. Danhausen will likely keep doing what he’s been doing—claiming credit. and sometimes letting the curses fly again. At the moment. it’s a rare crossover moment where the Knicks’ pursuit of the NBA Finals and a wrestling storyline seem to be feeding each other.
Jalen Brunson Knicks Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals Danhausen WWE Stephen A. Smith SportsCenter Royal Rumble WrestleMania NBA playoffs