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Jeff Teague Makes Strong Jalen Brunson Statement After Knicks' Losses vs. Pacers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 25, 2025 1:56 PM ET

The New York Knicks are down 2-0 to the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals despite having home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

The Knicks lost Games 1 and 2 at home at Madison Square Garden. New York must win Game 3 on Sunday in Indiana to avoid going down 3-0.

New York star point guard Jalen Brunson is averaging 39.5 points through two games against Indiana while shooting 53.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 89.5 percent from the free-throw line. Those are strong numbers.

However, an NBA champion is blaming Brunson for the Knicks being down 2-0 to the Pacers.

Jeff Teague, who won the 2021 NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, said Brunson is holding the ball too long on offense.

"You know how the Knicks lose these games, bro? Jalen Brunson holds the ball for, the shot clock is 24 seconds, he's holding that (expletive) for 17 (seconds)," Teague said. "It's the way he hold the ball.

"They don't get no rhythm. That's why when he comes out the game, all of a sudden the pace pick up, the tempo pick up. All of a sudden, you see people start hoopin' a little bit. He hold the ball so long."

Brunson has a usage rate of 40.1 percent versus the Pacers in the conference finals.

Meanwhile, Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton's usage rate is only 26.2 percent. He's averaging 22.5 points while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from 3 and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.

If the Knicks lose Game 3, the series is essentially over, as no team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs.

It will be fascinating to see how Brunson and Co. play on Sunday. Game 3 begins at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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