After watching his team suffer a gutting 32-point loss on Sunday, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau refused to make any excuses. The tenured shot-caller sent a stern message to his team about just getting things done against the Indiana Pacers despite whatever disadvantage they might be in.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson had the exact same message for his team now that the Knicks have lost two in a row and have allowed the Pacers to get back in this series.
New York Knicks News: Jalen Brunson Sounds Off on Brutal Loss
Brunson came crashing back down to earth on Sunday amid the blistering run the All-Star point guard has been on of late. The Knicks superstar cooled off for just 18 points in Game 4 on 6-of-17 shooting, to go along with three rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 31 minutes of action.
Brunson needed his supporting cast in this one, but most of them came up short as well, with the Knicks’ other four starters combining for just 21 points.
The Pacers exposed the Knicks and their shortcomings in Game 4, which many would say stems from the fact that New York is missing some key players due to injury. For his part, however, Brunson was just having none of that:
“There is no ‘we’re short-handed.’ There is so excuse whatsoever… If we lose, we lose,” he said.
Brunson is obviously not the type to make excuses, but there’s no denying that the Knicks are indeed in the midst of a major injury crisis at the moment. On top of losing Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson to season-ending injuries, New York has also been without the services of OG Anunoby for the past two games.
Unfortunately, it does not sound like Anunoby is getting close to returning as this series heads back to New York for Game 5 on Tuesday. As Brunson said, however, the Knicks just have to make do with what they have. No excuses
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