“I’m really not trying to look for him, he just happens to be open.”
Jalen Brunson on his confidence in Josh Hart 😂
Getty
Knicks Have Perfect Response After Jalen Brunson Earns Third Straight All-NBA Nod
The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and are just two wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. One player shone in the game, and his point guard made a humorous remark about it after the game.
In a postgame clip shared by NBA on ESPN on X, Jalen Brunson was asked about feeding Josh Hart during his big night. His answer was as honest as it was hilarious.
GettyJalen Brunson Had the Perfect Roast for Josh Hart After Knicks’ Game 2 Win
Brunson was asked whether he was intentionally trying to build Hart’s confidence by keeping him involved. His response: “I’m really not trying to look for him. He just happens to be open.”
Jalen continued: “So I give him the ball but I got the most confidence of him watching the things he does after practice and now with his routine and everything. He works hard, I know we joke around a lot, but that’s about his practice habits, but he does work hard.”
“I’m really not trying to look for him, he just happens to be open.”
Jalen Brunson on his confidence in Josh Hart 😂
A compliment and a roast at the same time, delivered completely straight-faced. That is just how Brunson operates, and Hart has earned every bit of it.
Hart had been benched late in Game 1 after a rough outing, then came back to drop a playoff career-high 26 points on Cleveland. That kind of response does not happen by accident. It comes from a team that has been building belief round by round.
GettyKnicks Star Jalen Brunson Trolls Josh Hart After Career Night vs Cavs
The Knicks advanced to the second round after beating the Atlanta Hawks in six games in the first round, even though they lost the first two games. That series went down to the wire a few times but New York finally got their act together and finished the job. But the second round was a totally different story.
They swept the Philadelphia 76ers in four games, setting an NBA postseason record for 3-pointers in the first quarter during the clincher. The 76ers, on their part, tried to prevent Knicks supporters from entering their arena by selling tickets only to residents of Greater Philadelphia through the lottery system. Again, Knicks’ fans took over Philadelphia and New York completed the Series smoothly.
It was the same with Cleveland. The Cavaliers limited primary market ticket sales for their home games to fans with billing addresses in select parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, so that most New Yorkers were locked out. Game 3 is at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and it will be interesting to see how many Knicks fans can get their way in despite all that.
On the court, this team has been hard to stop all postseason. Game 1 against Cleveland featured a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback, the largest in a Conference Finals game since 1997. Then in Game 2, they went on an 18-0 run in the third quarter and never looked back.
Cleveland is down 2-0 and running out of answers.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for PFSN, Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
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