It was at the 2:57 mark in the fourth quarter of Game 5 when Jalen Brunson was subbed out due to a non-contact ankle injury. After taking a short rest on the sidelines, Brunson ā alongside Josh Hart ā waited nearly two minutes at the scorerās table before checking back in.
In that same span, the Knicks' offense looked completely lost. With Cameron Payne and Miles McBride running crunch-time possessions in a one-possession game, New York managed just a single made 3 from Mikal Bridges in the final minute before the starters returned. With no leader, no captain, and Detroitās hounding defense pressing every inch, it exposed a harsh truth the Knicks must accept:
Without Jalen Brunson, the Knicks are not a playoff team
This wasnāt just a Game 5 problem. In Game 1, Brunson tweaked his ankle on a drive against Ausar Thompson and had to sit for most of the third and fourth quarters. Luckily, a Cameron Payneāfueled run bailed them out. In Game 4, Brunson exited with 2:52 left in the third quarter and didnāt return until 10:14 in the fourth ā during which time the Pistons expanded their lead to double digits.
Even with the Knicks holding a 3ā2 series lead, itās obvious they unravel when Brunson isnāt a scoring factor. Game 5 was arguably the worst fans have seen their captain play this postseason: 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting. One poor night isnāt a reason to panic ā but it should raise concerns about how much the Knicks depend on him.
Brunsonās āfoul-baitingā play style has always drawn criticism, but he understands that every edge counts in the postseason. The Pistons, aggressive and physical by design, havenāt taken their foot off the gas when defending him. And Brunsonās continued efforts to draw contact only add more wear and tear to a body thatās being pushed to its limit in a series headed to six games.
Even if New York gets past Detroit, Boston isnāt going to be any easier. And neither is Tom Thibodeau, whoās unlikely to ease Brunsonās workload in the next round. The Celtics ā rested after dispatching the Magic in five games ā have had New Yorkās number all season.
So whatās the solution? The Knicks need to get more from Brunson in the opening minutes, so theyāre not relying on late-game heroics every night. They also need more from the bench, especially McBride, whoās averaging just 4.0 points per game this series. If Thibodeau canāt trust the second unit, Brunsonās body wonāt survive a deep run.
Brunson isnāt listed on the injury report for Game 6. Letās hope thatās the one constant that doesnāt change.