There are a bunch of things that can go wrong over the course of a season, some of which are completely out of a team's control. How one responds to the bad luck element that plagues all franchises at one point or another can have a deeply profound impact on a locker room and on-court performance. It is a cliche, but winning can be a mentality. That is something New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson understands completely.
While speaking with teammate Josh Hart on their podcast, “Roommates Show,” the point guard explains what burned him up most during the squad's ultimately unsuccessful postseason run, specifically in the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Indiana Pacers.
“The one thing I hated the most, even though we were playing well.. whenever we lost, everyone was like ‘they're tired' or ‘they're injured'… that pissed me off,” Brunson revealed, per The Strickland. “We had chances to win that series and didn't. We had a chance to go up 3-0 and we didn't. I just hate the fact that sometimes people give us… that's not the reason we lost.”
“I hate the narrative.”
New Yorkers might be constructing a statue for this man at this very moment. The 27-year-old continues to exemplify the grit and accountability this fan base craves, nay demands. He has yet to lead the Knicks to the mountaintop, or even the Eastern Conference Finals, but his competitive fire is spreading throughout the roster and city.
Jalen Brunson has made the Knicks nationally interesting and relevant again. A face of the franchise who can willingly put the team on his back night after night (averaged 32.4 points and 7.5 assists in 13 postseason games) without ever making excuses should never be taken for granted.
Knicks ran on fumes towards the end of Pacers series
It is one thing to not blame injuries as a reason why Indiana ousted New York in seven games, but the fact that Brunson is actually offended by other people doing so shows just how rare of an athlete he is. Because, objectively, the Knickerbockers were significantly hampered by the health status of OG Anunoby, Hart, Mitch Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic throughout the NBA Playoffs.
That does not even include the season-ending shoulder injury Julius Randle suffered at the end of January. Every team is forced to weather meaningful absences, but head coach Tom Thibodeau had few places to turn to by the end of the series.
And then, with the Knicks already gasping for breath in Game 7, Brunson suffered a left hand fracture and exited the contest in the third quarter. There was little this shorthanded group could realistically muster in the do-or-die matchup with the Pacers.
But to Brunson's point, New York had a prime opportunity to build a commanding 3-0 lead before Indy roared back in the fourth quarter. Game 3 marked a critical turning point for both teams, one that is clearly ingrained in the memory of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and hopefully the rest of the Knicks.
The 2024 All-Star and All-NBA Second-Team selection is not thinking about injuries. His what-if scenario concerns what he and his teammates can control. That admirable mindset should serve Brunson exceptionally well as he continues his lively tenure in the Big Apple.
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