Ex-Knicks Star Says Jalen Brunson’s Championship Team Would Never Beat 2016 Cavs: “Who.. Is Guarding LeBron James?”

Now that the league is settling down from the New York Knicks' title win, it's time for a whole new discourse. Fans have now begun debating whether Jalen Brunson and company can beat the championship-winning teams before them.

Since the Cleveland Cavaliers are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their championship as well, they are among the historical squads thrust into this conversation.

Some fans believe that the 2026 Knicks can defeat the 2016 Cavs. An interesting hypothetical scenario that received a response from a member of that 2016 squad, J.R. Smith.

According to Smith, the Cavs squad from a decade ago had an unbeatable edge. That edge comes in the duo of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.

"Who's guarding LeBron James, huh?" Smith said in response to the fan. "He said who's guarding Brunson. Me. I'll guard him, then we're going to put [Iman] Shumpert on him. Then what?"

"Then the little guy that everybody swears I don't like or we don't like, number two, who's guarding him?" He added in reference to Kyrie Irving.

Smith told fans to relax with the comparisons. He understands the hype surrounding the Knicks' first title since 1973. However, he strongly believes the 2016 Cavs sit in a different tier of basketball history.

Smith has ties to both the Cavaliers and the New York Knicks. He spent three and a half seasons in New York, from 2011-12 through the mid-2014-15 season, when he was traded to Cleveland alongside Iman Shumpert.

In 2013, Smith won the 6th Man of the Year award for the Knicks after playing 80 games off the bench. He averaged 33.5 minutes per game, posting 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

When he was traded to the Cavs, though, he began seeing minutes as a full-time starter alongside James and Irving, ultimately helping them clinch the 2016 championship.

Comparing Jalen Brunson's 2026 Knicks to LeBron James' 2016 Cavs

Both the 2016 Cavaliers and 2026 Knicks had a deep roster built around a crystal clear leader.

For the Cavs, it was 6-foot-9 LeBron James, who at that point had already won four MVPs and two championships. A man from whom everyone expected greatness.

Meanwhile, the Knicks had Jalen Brunson. Doubted due to his 6-foot-2 stature, and before his Finals MVP win, had only been named to a handful of All-Star selections and All-NBA teams.

Flanking James was superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, and floor-spacing double-double machine Kevin Love, forming a well-balanced big three.

Brunson, meanwhile, had only one other All-Star teammate in Karl-Anthony Towns. Still, he was surrounded by elite, scrappy contributors in Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby, as well as a two-way stretch wing in Mikal Bridges.

The Cavs had reliable vets in J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye. They also had players whose contributions didn't always show up much in the box score, such as Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson.

The Knicks, on the other hand, had spark plugs in Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet, and Miles McBride.

Cleveland did the impossible by coming back from a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit against a Golden State Warriors team that had won 73 regular-season games. Before that year, no team had ever won in the Finals after going down 3-1.

The Knicks trailed every single game in the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, and somehow, managed to claw their way back in game after game. That included overcoming a 29-point deficit in Game 4, which is the largest comeback win in NBA Finals history.

Ultimately, both teams possess historic grit. But according to Smith, a gritty comeback is not enough to stop a prime LeBron James.