The New York Knicks and star point guard Jalen Brunson gave it everything they had in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. They entered the postseason without All-Star and All-NBA power forward Julius Randle and the injury report only grew the last few weeks.
Joining Randle on the sidelines were Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic and OG Anunoby. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein battled injuries as well, as the team was running on fumes.
Ultimately, it became too much to overcome. In Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon, the New York Knicks were defeated 130-109. It took a historic shooting effort from Indiana to eliminate them, as the final blow was another Brunson injury.
In the third quarter, after the Knicks were building some momentum and cutting their deficit to seven, something was off with their point guard. He was flexing his hand and went to the locker room briefly. His return to the court lasted only 14 seconds as he knew something was wrong.
“I thought I just jammed it, to be honest with you,” Brunson said of briefly checking back into the game, only to leave again. “I looked down and knew something was wrong.”
It was a very frustrating end to a season full of what-ifs for the franchise. It was quickly revealed that he fractured his left hand and was announced out for the remainder of the game.
The New York Knicks, by all accounts, had a very successful season. Given the adversity they faced, winning 50 games in the regular season, earning the No. 2 seed and winning a playoff series is great.
But, for the uber-competitive Jalen Brunson, it wasn’t enough. When asked if this season was a success, he responded bluntly with his dissatisfaction.
“No,” he said, flatly.
Asked later why that was the case, he responded, “Did we win the championship? Did we get close?”
After a pause, he continued, “So, no. That’s my mindset.
“That’s just how it is.”
Early in the series, Brunson suffered a foot injury that was hampering his performance. He gutted things out for the New York Knicks, providing some heroics along the way, but it was too much to overcome.
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