1 week Ago
NEW YORK -- A glum Jalen Brunson walked into the press room at Madison Square Garden and did what fans would want the captain of any New York team to do after a playoff loss. He shouldered the blame. He said the loss was on him.
He said his team would “respond” in the next game. “It’s on my shoulders..
.it’s on me to make sure I set the table," Brunson said after pouring in 37 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the Knicks’ 100-94 Game 2 loss to the Detroit Pistons that evened the series at 1-1. “We’ll have conversations and we’ll come back better for Game 3.
” Brunson was asked about the defensive coverage on Dennis Schroder’s go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute left that put the Pistons up for good -- and said it was a miscommunication between himself and his former Villanova teammate Josh Hart. “It’s both of us, but it’s something that shouldn’t happen, especially between me and him,” Brunson said. “We’ve known each other too long to mess that up.
” He added: “It felt like we were playing catch up all game and then we tied it up and I didn’t catch up on the Dennis three.” DENNIS SCHRODER CLUTCH. pic.
twitter.com/x9YWQjtOFu Brunson was asked about Mikal Bridges’ potential game-tying 3 with 11 seconds left that missed. “I thought he had a good look, and he just missed it,” Brunson said.
The Knicks were out-rebounded (48-34) and the Pistons also took 15 more foul shots than the Knicks. “Regardless if fouls are being called or not being called,” he said, “we gotta adjust.” Overall, Brunson said, the Pistons were hungrier and the more focused team coming off the loss in Game 1.
“When it comes to the playoffs, the team that loses that comes back, is just more into it,” he said. “It’s just a natural reaction when you’re in the playoffs. And when you lose, you find a way to figure out how to come back this game and do better, and then you gotta give them a lot of credit, and then now it’s just it’s on us to respond.
” Despite another brilliant offensive game that came on the heels of Brunson being named a finalist for the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year Award, he wasn’t happy with his performance. “I feel like I’m getting the spots and missing shots I normally make,” he said. “I feel like it could be a lot better, and I hold myself to a higher standard when it comes to that.
And actually put my team in a position to win. All the other stuff doesn’t really matter, what their stats were. When it comes to a loss, that doesn’t matter at all.
Actually help my team, put them in a position to win. And I didn’t do that.” With Game 3 on Thursday, that’s exactly what Knicks fans want their captain saying.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media.
You may follow him on Twitter @ AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com ..
