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Jalen Brunson Shoulders Blame For Knicks Heartbreaker

Jalen Brunson thrust the spotlight upon himself after the New York Knicks missed a golden playoff opportunity.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Apr 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to pass the ball against Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Apr 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to pass the ball against Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson went down with the ship after one of the more heartbreaking defeats in recent New York Knicks memory.

Brunson blooms once again decorated Madison Square Garden but they weren't enough to avoid a heartbreaking 100-94 defeat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Detroit Pistons. The point guard put up 37 points in defeat as New York missed out on an opportunity to take a commanding two-game lead in the best-of-seven set.

Brunson's adoring public will likely find fall men to take the blame for their beloved team's downfall: the men in black (and white) will no doubt be popular targets and internal sources like Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns — both held scoreless in the second half — could also be named.

But, well-known for stealing the MSG spotlight, Brunson demanded it be cast upon him in defeat as well.

"We have a lot of great players on this team," Brunson noted in the aftermath (h/t New York Basketball on X). "'I'm not going to point fingers and say some people need to do that or this. It's on me to set the table. So, I'll go back, I'll figure out what I need to do, we'll have conversations, and we'll come back better for Game 3."

Brunson was willing to take the fall despite another near-heroic effort, one that saw him account for 20 of the Knicks' 45 second half points despite landing only 6-of-16 from the field. Many will no doubt note that Brunson probably should've gotten more.

MSG's Monday crowd hardly hesitated to hide its contempt for the officiating staff, which appeared to hit the Knicks where it mattered most. While Detroit was charged with two more fouls than the Knicks and Brunson's primary defender, Ausar Thompson, fouled out with over five minutes left in the game, many were perplexed that Brunson and the Knicks as a whole had only two free throw tries in the first half. Brunson was granted a little more mercy over the latter 24 minutes, hitting 7-of-9 as the Knicks staged a comeback from a deficit that reached as high as 15.

Alas, one of the Clutch Player of the Year finalists struggled to live up to that reputation in the final stanzas: after the Knicks completed the comeback with a 94-all tie with 1:15 remaining (with Josh Hart scoring off a Brunson feed), Brunson misfires sandwiched Bridges' memorable miss that all contributed to the Knicks' final doom. Dennis Schroder's three-pointer proved to be all the sustenance that the Pistons needed and the series is now tied as it flies to Detroit for Games 3 and 4.

“I feel like I’m getting to spots and missing shots I normally make,” Brunson said, per CJ Holmes of the New York Daily News. “I could be a lot better. I hold myself to a higher standard when it comes to that. I need to put my team in position to win. All the other stuff doesn’t really matter, what the stats were. When it comes to a loss that doesn’t matter at all. I just need to help my team, put them in position to win and tonight I didn’t do that.”

Ignoring sterling box scores in the agony of defeat has become a bittersweet theme in the Brunson era: Monday marked Brunson's 13th Knicks playoff game with at least 30 points, breaking a tie with the late Willis Reed for the second-most in franchise history. Alas, the Knicks are a mere 7-6 in such showings, which include a tally of 41 in the 2023 elimination game against Miami.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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