‘Don’t know many people would have predicted this’ – New York Daily News
Rick Carlisle knows Jalen Brunson as well as any opposing coach. The Pacers head coach — and former Dallas Mavericks sideline leader — coached Brunson during his early NBA years, and ahead of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he shared what he’s learned watching the Knicks’ All-Star guard grow.
“Well is this his fourth year or third year here? This is his 3rd? Well each year, he’s raised the bar of what he’s been doing,” Carlisle said pregame on Friday. “He’s the kinda guy that covets the opportunity to lead. He wants the responsibility of winning and losing, and he’s extremely durable. I know he missed some time this year, but he had played hurt when he was with us, and you always knew you were going to get his best possible effort and whatever he could put out there.”
Dallas famously lowballed Brunson when he became an unrestricted free agent in 2022. That miscalculation opened the door for New York to sign him to a four-year, $104 million deal. The Knicks doubled down this past summer, signing Brunson to a $156 million extension and naming him the 36th team captain in franchise history.
The payoff? Two 50-win seasons, an All-Star starter nod, and the team’s first trip to the conference finals in 24 years.
“He’s obviously taken it to exponential levels here in one of the big stages in all of professional sports,” said Carlisle. “So knowing about his determination and how much he’s driven by doubters, it’s not surprising what he’s done from that standpoint. But I don’t know that many people would have predicted all this.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau offered similar praise.
“It’s just who he is. The way he prepares himself, it sets the tone for our team,” Thibodeau said pregame. “The best leadership you have are the things that you do.
“Oftentimes it’s a misconception when people think, a loud person is the leader. That’s oftentimes not the case. On every team the leaders are the guys who do the right things each and every day.”
Carlisle Pushes Back on Wear-Down Narrative
Despite the Pacers erasing a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1, Carlisle refuted the idea that Indiana’s pace was the decisive factor in the comeback.
“We were behind and we were trapping, so I don’t know if pace had anything to do with it,” he said. “Look we try to play a style that’s good for us, and we try to play it as well as we can.”
Asked what message sparked the rally, Carlisle couldn’t recall specifics.
“We needed to get some fresh bodies in the game. I think around that time was when [Ben] Sheppard went into the game. We may have sent one or two more guys,” he said. “We had foul trouble. Both teams had foul trouble. And just try to play the whole 48 minutes and play it out and do everything we can to make it hard on them and to get some points. It worked out, but it’s over.”
Thibs on Starters’ Struggles: “You Look at Everything”
The Knicks’ starting five — Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart — owns a minus-68 net rating this postseason. Thibodeau pushed back on putting too much weight into that number.
“It’s hard to just look at it that way because there’s a lot of mixing and matching,” he said. “So sometimes they’re with the second unit as well. So you look at everything. And then you have to also look at what happens when you put your second unit in.”
No Time for Sulking
Despite the heartbreak of Game 1’s collapse, Thibodeau said his process between games hasn’t changed.
“All you do is go through each game, you study it, you move on, get ready for the next game and that’s where the focus is,” he said. “After each game, whether you win or lose, you have to re-set and have to be ready for the task at hand, which is your next game. So it’s how you respond to the next challenge.”
