JALEN Brunson leads all the NBA players in scoring during the postseason, and he may still harbor a grudge against Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, stemming from their time together with the Dallas Mavericks.
Hard to imagine Brunson needs any extra motivation as he leads the New York Knicks into the opening game of the Eastern Conference second-round series against the visiting Pacers on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila).
Sixth-seeded Indiana eliminated the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, while the second-seeded Knicks ousted the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in their opening series. Both series ended in six games.
Brunson led the way for the Knicks with a 35.5 ppg scoring average and scored 39, 47, 40 and 41 over the final four games of the series.
Brunson is a bona fide star in his second season in New York but that wasn’t the case when he was a member of the Mavericks, who faced the Los Angeles Clippers during the first round of the 2021 playoffs.
Dallas let a 3-2 series lead get away and as things disintegrated in Game 7, Brunson watched from the bench. The highly competitive guard played just 10 minutes, scoring two points in a 126-111 defeat.
“In all honesty, I said this last time, you’re in the playoffs now, there is no extra motivation,” Brunson told reporters when asked about his unhappiness at the time. “It is what it is. The past is the past. Rick welcomed me into the league and helped me become the player (I am today) and helped me grow from Day 1.”
