In his 20-plus year career, LeBron James has never entered a February game at MSG with a worse record than the home team.
And a toast to New York City from Jalen Brunson, who scored 40 points and had a gem of a performance that exploded the Garden on Thursday despite clearly feeling uneasy about his situation with the Lakers. I’m satisfied with that.
“Jalen is phenomenal. He’s phenomenal,” James said from Nike headquarters in Manhattan. “He’s so happy and so proud of him. First time All-Star, to see his emotions after the last game, I think it’s so cool, so dope.”
Brunson similarly praised James’ career.
“What he’s done so far has been nothing short of spectacular and nothing to write home about,” Brunson said before the game. “Everything he’s done is legendary. And I have the utmost respect for him. But when you go out on the court, you have to compete, and when you see that, he’s this idol. You can’t just think about it, and it is, but we have to go out on the court and play against the Lakers tonight.”
James said he competed against Brunson’s father, Rick, which is a nod to James’ longevity.
“It’s kind of weird in that way,” James said. “Rick is a very down-to-earth, wonderful guy and he raised an unbelievable son. It’s amazing. It’s not just Rick of course, it’s his whole family, but it’s super cool.”
James was less generous, considering his own circumstances.
After landing in New York on Friday night, the Lakers fell to a disappointing 25-25 (8 more losses than the Knicks), and James recently tweeted an hourglass emoji.
Some speculate that time is running out or that James is starting to get impatient, but the 39-year-old NBA’s oldest player was unwilling to elaborate on Saturday.
“No,” he said.
And does he know of any postseason plans with options on his contract?
“no.”
It’s hard to imagine the Lakers trading James, but his agent Rich Paul recently went on record saying he was disgusted by the idea.
But it’s clear that the status quo won’t work for one of the greatest players of all time.
And although he admitted to feeling a little physically tired and missed the last game in Boston, James said he felt “better but a lot worse” to return to his favorite arena. He had regained his energy.
Even if he does not retire after the season, there is no guarantee that he will be able to play at MSG again.
Therefore, every appearance is valued.
“At this point in my career, it certainly is,” he said. “Probably, especially later in my career, I’ll get a chance to get in the lineup and play here, but I don’t take it for granted.
“For me, it has always been a pleasure to grace that floor throughout my career.”
James entered Saturday at MSG with a 22-9 record, averaging 28.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.9 boards. He had a triple-double in the Lakers’ win last season.
The Knicks are clearly the better team this time around, and Brunson is the hotter player, even if he’s not the better one.
James, who wanted to join the Knicks in 2010, said on Saturday that he had “thought about it my whole career,” but it’s been more than a decade since he played against a better home team at MSG. Ta.
But he made sure to remind reporters of his buddy Carmelo Anthony’s run in leading the Knicks to 54 wins in 2012-13.
“Melo was doing what Melo was doing here, and they had good team support around him and winning ballgames,” James said. “So this isn’t the first time. I’ve been here 20 years. I’ve seen this arena buzz and the teams play well.”
