Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart drop truth bombs after Game 4 blowout loss to Pacers

Oftentimes, it is in post-game pressers when players openly admit when they missed an impact player in the NBA Playoffs clash. But, this was not at all the case for the Knicks. After losing with a disheartening 121 to 89 scoreline to the Pacers, all they could do was take accountability. One of the first to do it was the Knicks’ superstar and leader, Jalen Brunson.

“Yeah, we’re short-handed but that doesn’t matter right now. We have what we have and we need to go forward with that. There is no ‘we’re short-handed.’ There’s no excuse. There’s no excuse whatsoever,” he outlined.

Jalen Brunson did not quite live up to his averages in Game 4 against the Knicks. He attempted 17 shots from the field but only six of them found the bottom of the net. This along with going zero for five for his three-pointers netted the Knicks star a meager 18 points. He did still try his best to make an impact in this matchup. The Pacers’ defense still had holes which allowed him to drop five assists and grab three rebounds. His awareness while blitzing the passing lanes also makes it so that he stole the ball twice to stop the Tyrese Haliburton-led offense from taking off.

All of these were clearly not enough to keep them afloat.

No excuses for the Knicks

The running theme in the post-game interviews after the Knicks vs. Pacers clash was introspection. Tom Thibodeau’s squad knew that they could have given more effort and executed better to go up three to one in this NBA Playoffs series. But, there was just something missing in each of their players.

Josh Hart was another key member of the Knicks who did not get to quite stuff the stat sheet and create momentum like he used to. He openly admitted that there was a need for him to be better and bring in the same energy that he did in the past NBA Playoffs games, via Fred Katz of The Athletic.

“As someone who brings energy, brings hustle, the kinda things I didn’t do today. It’s time to get better,” the Knicks guard declared.

Josh Hart was only used for nearly just 24 minutes in this matchup. This was nearly not the same as his usual 40-minute usage time. His production was also meager in this game. He only produced three rebounds alongside two assists. Going one for six on the field to only net two points was also not ideal.

The Knicks need to step up. Else, they can bid farewell to the series if they lose their home games.