On the biggest stage and most pressured moment, Josh Hart has complete trust in Jalen Brunson.
It reminds Hart of the faith he has in former teammate Damian Lillard.
“I have great faith [in Brunson]. It was like playing with Dame,” said Hart, who played alongside Lillard for two seasons with the Trail Blazers.
“Dame was like, ‘Okay, we’ve got two minutes left to keep this game close. I’m going to win it.'”
“During my short time with Dame in Portland, that was my mindset: Make sure the game was within reach in the final minutes and let Dame do what he needed to do. And the same goes for Jalen.”
Brunson put on a one-man show in the playoffs, averaging 33.9 points while under constant defensive pressure.
Brunson’s efficiency has dipped a bit in clutch time during the playoffs, but he still leads the offense and the Knicks are 6-2 in games in which the score is five points or less in the final five minutes.
He averages 10 points in the fourth quarter during the playoffs.
“I have full confidence in him to go out there and make the right plays, but sometimes he just doesn’t score,” Hart said Friday night, when the Knicks open a crucial Game 6 against the Pacers. He spoke before the match. “But it’s just him making the right plays and it’s the same mentality of keeping this game close.” [so Brunson can finish it]If it’s a back-and-forth game, if I give him the ball at the end, I have full confidence that he’ll get it. ”
Brunson won two NCAA titles at Villanova and has improved his game in the past three NBA playoffs, agreeing to embrace high-pressure games.
For Josh Hart. USA TODAY Sports (via Reuters Con)
“I’m definitely excited about the moment,” he said. “It’s a chance to go out and compete. For me, my parents have always taught me to never be afraid to fail, no matter the situation. Even if you lose, you learn from it.”
OG Anunoby has missed his fourth consecutive game with a hamstring strain and has officially been ruled out for Game 6.
Tom Thibodeau said Thursday he’s doing “very light duty” on the practice court.
The coach added that Anunoby is “working a little harder” than his last update two days ago.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks in the NBA playoffs
Anunoby, the Knicks’ top defender, was injured in the third quarter of the Game 2 victory. The team is 26-5 with him in the lineup.
Asked if Anunoby’s next steps would be taken, Thibodeau said: “That’s a medical question.”
The Knicks reportedly expect Anunoby to return during the conference finals.
Thibodeau playfully extended an invitation to chat with ESPN writer Tim Keown. In the process of publishing a profile about the Knicks coach, he discovered a photo of a young, slender Knicks coach relaxing on a beach.
A photo of Thibodeau from her college days went viral on social media, and Keown showed it to a professional seamstress.
Hart immediately snapped a photo.
“If you know who the writer is, Tim, please tell him I’m looking for him,” Thibodeau smiled. “And give it to Josh Hart? Are you kidding me, of all people.”
