Foul Call: Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Frustrated By Refs' Jalen Brunson Approach?

Jalen Brunson's physical style of play has proven equal parts exhilarating and frustrating in the New York Knicks' final regular season hours.

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after scoring / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Spring is supposed to herald the return of tweets and whistles, but they have yet to emerge for the New York Knicks.

New York capped off a rollercoaster March, which saw them fiirt with the second seed in the Eastern Conference, on a dour note.

Easter weekend produced a duo of duds: the Knicks dropped a 130-126 overtime decision to the lowly San Antonio Spurs on Friday before the Oklahoma City Thunder escaped from New York with a 113-112 triumph two nights later.

Each game was likely destined to be a part of MSG Network's "Best of Knicks" series seen over the offseason thanks to standout performances from All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson: the former Villanova Wildcat engaged a March Madness tour with 61 points in San Antonio, two short of breaking Carmelo Anthony's 10-year-old single-game record. Brunson also appeared to have the game-winner on Sunday against the Thunder before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took matters into his own hands.

Mar 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after scoring / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Brunson capped off March with 28.8 points per game in 13 appearances, the third-best output in the NBA this month. Some believe that Brunson could've ... and should've ... had more, for reasons far beyond his control.

“A foul is a foul. That’s what I do know,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Friday, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “What I’m hearing (from the referees), I don’t really like. I don’t know what else you could do, what else you can say. It’s clear as day. It really is that simple.” 

Brunson's propensity for physicality has only added to his metropolitan legend: he has been lauded for his ability to draw charges, ranking second in the hustle stat behind Golden State's Brandin Podziemski. Thibodeau, however, is frustrated by the lack of calls for Brunson on the other end.

Friday's masterclass, for example, was built on a 25-of-47 output from the field. The successful sinks set a Knicks record while the 47 attempts were the most by any NBA player since the late Kobe Bryant famously bid farewell with 50 tries in a 60-point game in 2016. Brunson went to the foul line just six times in San Antonio and was the only New Yorker to go to the line until the peniltimate minute of regulation. The Spurs were granted 32 freebies compared to the Knicks' dozen, including for Victor Wembanyama that indrectly forced an extra period.

A whistle, or lack thereof, had a more noticeable impact in Sunday's visit from the Western Conference co-leaders: Brunson's would-be winner was sunk despite noticeable contact from Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort, but the denied and-one kept things at a one-point game and allowed Gilgeous-Alexander's double to serve as the winner.

Thibodeau was less wordy but far more frustrated when asked to explain the call.

"Write what you see," Thibodeau said, per Peter Botte of The Post. “That’s all I can say, write what you see."

True to form, Brunson has refused to revel in his individual instances, claiming that his career-best shooting night "(didn't) matter" considering the Knicks whiffed on a chance to earn a late win against the downtrodden Spurs. Officials are also far from the Knicks' biggest issue in their last couple: New York let the Spurs jump out to a 17-point halftime lead by spotting them 10 three-pointers in the first 24 minutes and a Josh Giddey/Jalen Williams breakout saw the Thunder make quick work of a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter on Easter.

But there's no denying that there's some quizzical discrepancy about the way officials appear to be calling his interior invasions: Brunson currently sits among the Association's top five scorers but is the only one of that bunch averaging less than eight free throws a game (6.1).