ESPN Analyst Rips Knicks Captain's Critics

With the New York Knicks trailing in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, some have been quick to remark that Jalen Brunson is lacking in captain material.

But with the Knicks facing a deficit that has placed them on the precipice of elimination, ESPN personality and New York sports critic Mike Greenberg offered a stern warning to any authors of a potential Brunson take, reminding them that Madison Square Garden may not have been open this long if not for the efforts of Manhattan's finest point guard.

"If I hear one more word of criticism about Jalen Brunson or the idea that somehow Jalen Brunson is the reason the Knicks are not doing this and not doing that, I’m going to smash my head against a wall,” Greenberg said on Thursday's edition of "Get Up!" “Jalen Brunson has single-handedly dragged a very average team to the Eastern Conference Finals and if they hadn’t gotten as banged up as they did last year, this would be the second straight year they made the NBA’s final four."

ESPN's Mike Greenberg said on Get Up - "Jalen Brunson has single-handedly dragged a very average team to the Eastern Conference finals."

What's your take on his comment? pic.twitter.com/a4t42Av25Q
— Knicks Fan TV 🏀🎥📺🏁 (@KnicksFanTv) May 29, 2025

Little more needs to be said about Brunson's impact on New York basketball: the Knicks have reached the playoffs in each of his three seasons in their uniform and are currently engaged in their first conference finals showing since 2000. Brunson himself has become one of the Association's most lauded backcourt men, landing back-to-back All-Star Game and All-NBA Team invites in the last two tours.

Early losses to the Pacers, however, had some analysts of both the amateur and professional variety questioning Brunson's ability to be a No. 1 option on a championship contender. In Game 4 of the series, for example, Brunson scored 31 points but the Knicks were a minus-16 on the scoreboard during his 37 minutes of action amidst a 130-121 loss.

While the Knicks are still one loss away from doomsday, Brunson immediately vindicated Greenberg's analysis with a 32-point showing that also featured some sterling defensive efforts. New York staved off its impending doom with a 111-94 triumph to narrow Indiana's lead to 3-2.

The Knicks' postseason efforts have no doubt been amplified by some high-profile additions that have arrived amidst Brunson's storied tenure, including OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns. None of them, however, has carried the dependability of Brunson, whose routinely reliable antics in the most vital moments of the game have paved a path to the NBA's final four.

“They need one guy to be a star, a superstar. They need one guy to be genuinely brilliant, and night in and night out, Jalen Brunson has been that," Greenberg emphatically declared. "When they run into a team that is much deeper, and let’s face it, much better, and Brunson is somehow not able to carry them over the top of that, we have decided that it’s his fault. That drives me nuts and I’m not going to listen to any more of it.”

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!