Jalen Brunson, who wasn’t able to finish Game 7 because of a fractured left hand, said he does not view the Knicks‘ season as a success because it didn’t end with a championship.
As he sat at the podium, his left hand and wrist immobilized after suffering a fracture in a season-ending 130-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson was asked if this season was a success.
„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.“
That could also apply to Brunson’s injury, which occurred in the third quarter when, he said, he swiped down at Tyrese Haliburton and felt something in his hand.
After a brief trip to the locker room, Brunson returned to the court for 14 seconds before checking back out with 3:02 to go in the third quarter and heading to the locker room for what would become the rest of both the game and New York’s season.
„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.“
For Brunson, it was a frustrating end — on both a personal and team level — to what has been a fabulous season, one that included him finishing fifth in the NBA’s Most Valuable Player voting earlier this month.
