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The New York Knicks snatched the soul out of the Detroit Pistons thanks to Jalen Brunson. The lefty's 25-foot three-pointer lifted the Knicks to the 116-113 thriller at Little Caesars Arena. Tom Thibodeau, though, now knows who awaits them in the NBA Playoffs; The Boston Celtics.
“Thibs” walked into a jubilant Knicks visiting locker room after Brunson's shot. But he walked into the postgame presser knowing the next challenge awaiting them. Thibodeau didn't take long to shift focus over to the defending NBA champions.
“We'll be doing a lot of work in the next couple days,” Thibodeau said via SNY Knicks. “They're the defending champions so we know we're going to have to be at our best.”
The Celtics will be well rested too. Boston wrapped up its series in five games over the Orlando Magic to open its title defense.
Knicks' Tom Thibodeau reacts to Jalen Brunson basket before Celtics series
Brunson's clutch moment cements the next Boston-New York sports matchup. He sparked multiple reactions including from Magic Johnson. The same Johnson who's known for his epic battles with the Celtics from his Los Angeles Lakers days.
Thibodeau had to answer questions about Brunson's dagger first. The head coach dropped a blunt take on what he saw.
“Jalen's shot, what can you say? He's at his best when his best is needed,” Thibodeau said. “It's easy to see how many points a guy scores, but when you look at the mental tools, that's everything.”
Brunson dropped 40 points in 42 minutes to lift the Knicks past the Pistons. His team nearly lost a late 12-point lead too. The likes of Jalen Duren, Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr. sparked a late Detroit surge. Ausar Thompson even built the lead to 110-105 by scoring off a two-point shot and one free throw. Hardaway Jr. nailed a pullup jumper from 16-feet to place the lead at seven.
Brunson, though, responded by hitting a driving six-foot floating jump shot. That ignited a final 11-1 run to seal the road win. Brunson scored eight of those final 11 points. Now they'll aim to topple the defending champs, and ensure a new Larry O'Brien Trophy holder.
