New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson had a simple response to coach Tom Thibodeau’s postgame tirade about the lack of whistle he is getting from the referees following their third straight loss on Tuesday, April 2, in Miami.
“We gotta adjust to how they’re calling the game,” Brunson told reporters in the locker room. “Simple as that.”
Brunson hit 9 of 10 free throws to still finish with 20 points and 10 assists despite an ugly 5 of 18 shooting from the field.
With Brunson shackled, the Miami Heat held on to a 109-99 win in their first meeting at Kayesa Center since the Knicks’ Game 6 elimination in the second round of the NBA Playoffs last season.
“It says 10 free throws, but he’s getting fouled. I hate to say it, it’s that simple,” Thibodeau told reporters before repeatedly saying, “He’s getting fouled” six times.
Tom Thibodeau on Jalen Brunson tonight vs. the Heat:
“It says 10 free throws, but he’s getting fouled. I hate to say it, it’s that simple. He’s getting fouled. He’s getting fouled. He’s getting fouled. He’s getting fouled. He’s getting fouled. He’s getting fouled.”
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Jalen Brunson Not Getting Superstar Calls?
Despite Brunson’s rise as an All-Star and getting into the MVP conversation, the sentiment of the Knicks and their fan base is he’s not getting the superstar calls.
While Brunson is averaging a career-high 6.1 free throw attempts this season, he only ranks 14th in free throw attempts this season.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks leads the league in that category with 10.9 free throw attempts per game. Antetokounmpo’s running mate Damian Lillard (17.6 FGA) is the only small other guard ranked higher than Brunson at No. 7.
Lillard is averaging 6.8 free throw attempts per game.
But Brunson and Lillard’s games are built differently.
Lillard is a long-distance shooter whose range extends to the NBA logo.
Brunson, despite vastly improving on his outside shot this season, continues to make most of his shots inside the paint with his impeccable footwork and is getting hit which results in more floor burns than Lillard.
Relentless Driver
Brunson is averaging 19.1 drives per game, the third-most in the league this season. Only his former Dallas teammate Luka Doncic (23.6) and Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant (21.2) average more drives than him.
Doncic is getting 8.8 free throw attempts per game, the second-most behind Antetokounmpo. Morant averaged 7.1 free throw attempts in the 9 games he played, which would have tied him with Zion Williamson at No. 6.
Lillard ranks 20th in drives with 12.8 per game, tied with Sacramento Kings’ 6th Man Malik Monk. That 6.3 drives per game disparity alone mean Brunson has a higher probability of getting to the free throw line than Lillard.
But to be fair to the game officials, Brunson has drawn the fourth-most fouls this season with 422. Only Antetokounmpo (589), Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (458) and Doncic (541) have drawn more fouls than Brunson, per PBP Stats.
Jalen Brunson Owns Blame in Knicks 3rd Straight Loss
Brunson, who was feeling under the weather, did not make excuses after their fourth-quarter rally fell short.
“Everyone else did their job except for me,” Brunson said. ““[The cold] doesn’t matter.”
He was hard on himself after committing an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
[Expletive] carelessness,” Brunson said.
The loss dropped them to fifth place in the Eastern Conference with only seven games left.
Despite having an identical 44-31 record with the Orlando, the Magic is now the fourth seed with the season tie-breaker.
Jalen Brunson on:
End of game: “Everyone else did their job except for me.”
Having a cold: “Doesn’t matter.”
Being told he had 5 turnovers: “F**k. Carelessness.”
Thibs repeatedly saying he’s “getting fouled”: “We gotta adjust to how they’re calling the game. Simple as that.”
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