Knicks' Jalen Brunson Praises Pistons Crowd After Wild Series

"Yeah, they were saying "F you, Brunson," or whatever. I've heard worse. My dad coaches me, so I've definitely heard worse."

Pistons fans spent most of their team's first postseason trip since 2019 targeting Brunson, accusing him of flopping throughout the series, much to the amusement of Hart. The verbal warfare extended beyond the Little Caesars Arena premises, as some bought billboard space to call Brunson a "mother flopper."

Brunson and the Knicks wound up gaining the last laugh: New York won all three games staged in Detroit, the last ending with the Knick captain capping off a 40-point performance with a game-winning three-pointer that clinched the series, a final blow that Hillman referred to as "ethical." Though Detroit ended its playoff drought, another dire streak remains in tact, as the Pistons have not won a postseason home game since the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.

Brunson was further amused by a "red hat dude" that took his trolling efforts to the next level. Not only was he near the Knicks' bench during for every game except the last but he happened to be staying at their hotel.

"He's in our hotel. I'm like, bro, what are you doing? Why are you everywhere we are?" Brunson recalled, theorizing the fan was related to someone in the Pistons' front office. "I'm like bro, this dude is literally trolling us everywhere we go, every day in the hotel I saw him ... That's real. That's some real fan-type stuff, to stay in the hotel where the team was staying. He was locked in."

That effort and more, however, wasn't enough to derail the Knicks, who now get a round two series against the Boston Celtics.