Richard Jefferson believes the San Antonio Spurs are trying to make Jalen Brunson feel the same kind of physical pressure Stephen Curry once faced from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The NBA Finals have become a battle of rhythm as much as shot-making. Brunson is still the New York Knicks’ best late-game answer, but San Antonio is working to make every catch, screen, and drive feel uncomfortable.
Jefferson recognized the approach because he lived inside a similar plan when Cleveland kept running into Golden State on the biggest stage.
Richard Jefferson compares Jalen Brunson defense to Cleveland Cavaliers plan for Stephen Curry
Legion Hoops on X shared Richard Jefferson’s breakdown of how the San Antonio Spurs are defending Jalen Brunson, with the former Cleveland Cavaliers forward comparing it to the way his team handled Stephen Curry.
“When we [Cleveland Cavaliers] played against Steph Curry in the Finals, it was our job to beat him up like that,” Jefferson said.
He added, “It wasn’t anything dirty. It was just, ‘Foul him! Foul him!’ in a physical nature.”
Jefferson’s point was about wearing down a star guard without crossing into dirty play. The Cavaliers wanted Curry bumped off routes, hit on screens, and forced to work through bodies before he could even get to his spots.
That is the kind of burden San Antonio is trying to place on Brunson. The Spurs are staying attached, picking him up with force, and making the Knicks’ offense pay a physical toll before the shot clock even gets late.
San Antonio Spurs copy the Cleveland Cavaliers’ strategy to slow Jalen Brunson
The comparison works because both Curry and Brunson punish clean space. Curry needed daylight for pull-up threes and relocation chances, while Brunson needs balance, footwork, and tight angles to control the middle of the floor.
Cleveland’s answer from 2015 to 2018 was to deny comfort. Defenders like J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Jefferson himself grabbed, bumped, switched, and chased Curry until every possession felt crowded.
San Antonio is following the same logic with Brunson. The Spurs are using size, early contact, and aggressive screen coverage to make him fight before the real action begins.
That strategy will not erase Brunson, just as it never fully erased Curry. It can still change the cost of carrying an offense, and that is exactly what the Spurs need if they want to drag the Knicks into a more exhausting series.
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