Under Brunson’s watch, the Knicks lost to the Pacers in the playoffs two years in a row. Now it’s on him to lead the Knicks to a First Round series win against an inferior Hawks team.
No one questions Jalen Brunson’s impact with the Knicks since the president of basketball operations, Leon Rose, signed him as a free agent a few years ago.
Brunson delivered by elevating the Knicks into a cute team that captured the locals’ attention with last year’s Eastern Conference Finals to show for it. But the Knicks should be more than that. They are supposed to be an NBA title contender, and this was supposed to be the year they played in the NBA Finals.
Injuries on competitive teams were a major reason. Tyrese Haliburton was lost for the season to the Pacers after suffering an Achilles injury in Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals, and Celtics star Jayson Tatum would be out for most, if not all, of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs against the Knicks last year.
Flash forward to reality: the Knicks are in danger of being a first-round flameout after being outplayed by the Atlanta Hawks in the series despite the series being tied at 2. Even if they win the series, what makes you think they will win the NBA championship, let alone participate in the NBA Finals?
The problem starts and ends with Brunson. He hasn’t played like a championship player, as the local media and Knicks fans believe he is, and his performance in Game 3 summed up everything that has gone wrong for him and the Knicks. After the Knicks rallied from 18 points to take a 107-105 lead on Brunson’s floater, the Knicks star followed it up by shooting an airball and turning over the ball in an attempt to pass it to Josh Hart.
Those two failed possessions, combined with his poor defensive play, speak to the issue: Brunson fails when it matters most.
Photo courtesy ESPN
We saw similar issues last year against the Pacers when Haliburton often thrived in the fourth quarter, and physical double-teams disrupted Brunson’s rhythm. Painful reminders include his 19-point, five-turnover effort in Game 6 of last year’s Conference Finals elimination loss, and the 17-point Game 7 against the Pacers two years ago (on 6-of-17 shooting) before a fractured hand ended his night.
His poor moments should be treated as facts rather than opinions. It’s a reality he has to deal with, and no one bears that burden more than the team’s point guard.
But the beauty of sports is that narratives can change. Peyton Manning erased the inability to win a big game by finally winning a Super Bowl. Despite using steroids, Alex Rodriguez changed perceptions of “Mr. October” by finally delivering a great postseason that led the Yankees to end an eight-year title drought in 2009.
Brunson’s failures don’t have to be his epitaph. It’s on him to change that perception, and he can start by having the Knicks overcome an inferior Hawks team.
