It doesn’t get much closer than this New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers series. Each game has been a nail-biter, and it’s always anyone’s guess how those games will end. From going into overtime to wild comeback victories, this series has it all.
For the New York Knicks, unfortunately, their days are numbered if they don’t pull off a win soon. The team fell 121-130 on Tuesday, May 27, and now, if the Pacers win the next game in the series, they’ll move on and the Knicks will officially be in the offseason.
On the court, the Knicks rely heavily on star player Jalen Brunson. He has a message for those watching.
New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Gets Real
Following the loss to the Pacers on Tuesday, a deflated-looking Knicks team, including Brunson, spoke to the media about the loss and moving forward. Brunson was noticeably upset about the loss, but he also made it clear that he believes he and the team can do better.
“I’m not doing enough,” Brunson said. “I could sit here and be very detail-oriented about certain things, but obviously not good enough. There has to be a difference on my part when it comes to that.”
Of course, Brunson shouldn’t feel the world on his shoulders. He’s part of a team, and the whole team collectively wins or loses.
The Pacers know that if they want to win this series, they have to contain Brunson. So, they’ve had star guard Tyrese Haliburton heavily on him throughout games, as well as the Pacers’ general defense. It’s worked, and on Tuesday, Brunson wasn’t able to get the team over the hump that he often does.
Other New York Knicks Players Open Up on Pacers Loss
Other players spoke out about what went wrong, too. Josh Hart was asked about defending Indiana, who shot 51% overall.
“I think it’s difficult for any team [to stop]. You can stop one action, but then it’s the next action and the next action,” Hart said via ESPN. “If one domino falls … that one person’s mess-up is messing up the whole possession. Obviously they’re running good stuff, but we have to make sure that we’re physical and locked in and just make it tough for them.”
One of the biggest problems for New York on Tuesday was their defense. They allowed 43 points in the first quarter and let Haliburton really have his run in the first half.
Karl-Anthony Towns discussed the game, too, and said that in the end, they just didn’t have the “magic” that they needed to pull it off.
“In true fashion to our whole playoff run, we put ourselves in a deficit, got ourselves out of the deficit, and then usually we feel good about us going into a close game in the fourth quarter and showing our resilience,” Towns said. “But you get burned if you put yourself in that position too many times. We think coming into the fourth quarter that we’re going to find that one trick again. We just didn’t have that magic tonight.”
The New York Knicks will take on the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, May 29, at Madison Square Garden at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
