The last few games have been a struggle for the New York Knicks, who are no longer safe from avoiding the NBA Play-In Tournament. With seven games remaining in the regular season, they are only two games ahead of the seventh place Miami Heat, who defeated them on Tuesday evening.
That puts the Knicks’ losing streak at three games, with each loss being more excruciating than the last. New York was tied at some point in the fourth quarter of all three games but ran out of steam down the end and could not take home a win.
The opportunity to move up in the standings was there as the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of them have been struggling. But, they are now contending with the Orlando Magic for a top-four seed, as they, Cleveland and New York are all tied in the loss column.
While panic is beginning to set in for some Knicks fans, they can turn to their star point guard Jalen Brunson for a calming influence. He showcased what makes him such a special player and leader after the loss to Miami.
It was an uncharacteristic shooting night for Brunson, who was 5-of-18 from the field and only 1-of-6 from 3-point range. He praised the work of his teammates, who helped the team get back into the game, and took the blame for his own shortcomings.
His head coach, Tom Thibodeau, went to bat for him during his post game presser, calling out the NBA referees and how his star is being officiated. He acknowledged all of those things postgame talking to reporters, taking accountability and providing the kind of answers you want from your leader.
You are never going to hear excuses from Brunson, who is always going to do the right thing and set an example for his teammates to follow. The only thing he cares about is winning and suffering three losses in the fashion that the Knicks have is eating him up.
You can be sure that Brunson will come out ready to go on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings. At this point in the NBA season, every game is a must-win for New York, which is fighting hard to stay out of the Play-In Tournament.
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