Knicks Star Cut Off Playoffs After Loss
Like many Madison Square Garden visitors, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson just couldn't keep watching when his favorite character was killed off.
That character, of course, was the 2023-24 Knicks, who saw an otherwise sterling season come to an end with a seven-game loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That defeat was hardly Brunson's fault, though the first-time All-Star/All-NBA nominee fell victim to the injury bug that apparently invaded the New York locker room, as he was forced to leave the dreary finale with a fractured hand.
As if the hand wasn't physically painful enough, Brunson found the rest of the NBA Playoffs too mentally taxing to bear after the Knicks' elimination.
"I didn't watch a full game after (the Pacers series)," Brunson told host Camron Smith during an appearance on Stadium's "Inside the Association." "I can't. I just can't. I've seen bits and pieces ... wherever you go, on your phone, on TV, something is being shown about it. But, I just, I can't."
"As a competitor, you wish you were there. So, for me, I just couldn't do it."
Brunson did have a potential rooting interest leftover in the NBA's final four: the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson's original NBA employers, reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 after disposing of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finale. Brunson does remain close with several of his former North Texas teammates, such as franchise face Luka Doncic.
Spectator status in the battle for the Larry O'Brien Trophy, however, no longer has any morsel of appeal for the third-year Knick.
"I've always told myself that all the individual stuff is great," Brunson said. "(But) I think without team success, you can't achieve any of those goals. So, honestly, I just want to continue to win. I'm going to keep fighting to win a championship. We've just got to continue to take one step at a time."
It's not like Brunson missed much upon skipping the final rounds: the Mavericks needed but five games to master Minnesota while the Pacers' reward for knocking the Knicks was a four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics, who eventually defeated Dallas in five to win their record 18th NBA championship.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks