Pacers know slowing down Jalen Brunson remains big…
Roaring back and pulling out yet one other historic comeback victory in the collection opener against the Knicks will not be enough for the Pacers.
Despite Aaron Nesmith’s exterior taking pictures and Tyrese Haliburton’s choke signal invoking two-pronged reminiscences of former Knicks nemesis Reggie Miller, the Pacers insist they are often higher in a number of areas in Friday’s Game 2 at the Garden, with defending against opposing star Jalen Brunson at the highest of that checklist.
Brunson netted a game-high 43 factors on an environment friendly 15-for-25 from the sector for his highest scoring output in 13 postseason video games this 12 months.
“He’s a great player, great scorer. He’s a great leader. He does so much for their attack, and I just have so much respect for him, and our team does,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle mentioned. “Making it arduous on him is tough because he just finds angles, he will get locations, and he routinely makes photographs that if most gamers took them, you’d say that’s a dangerous shot.
“But he just a bucket, man. He gets ball in the basket.”
Carlisle was Brunson’s head coach in Dallas for the first three seasons of the previous Villanova star’s NBA profession, but across Brunson’s four-year tenure with the Mavericks, he averaged just 11.9 factors and 24.7 minutes in 277 regular-season appearances.
Jalen Brunson places up a shot as Aaron Nesmith defends during the Knicks’ Game 1 loss to the Pacers. Jason Szenes / New York Post
He really took off as a scorer after signing with the Knicks as a free agent in 2022, more than doubling that scoring output to 26.4 ppg in three years in New York.
“I’ve had this question before, and I’m not surprised knowing his level of determination, how much of a winner he is, and how he really has always embraced the doubters. He just loves proving people wrong,” Carlisle added. “I mean, I could tell you a lot of stories about where he’s come from and how much he’s improved. But he’s basically made the statement here over the last three years in a very strong way.”
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Brunson’s offensive numbers have been even higher in postseason play, raising his scoring average to 30.2 in 37 playoff video games for the Knicks.
Asked about the distinction in making an attempt to restrict Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first spherical and Brunson now, Carlisle replied, “They’re both great players that are in a small handful of guys that are essentially unguardable. The difference is they’re different positions, and you have to be ready. You’ve got to have a toolbox full of tools, and not all tools are going to work.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was Jalen Brunson’s coach for three years while both have been with the Mavericks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Pacers veteran T.J. McConnell mentioned the “really difficult” problem of guarding Brunson is that he has the inside-outside instruments to rating “at all three levels” — at the rim, in the mid-range recreation and from 3-point distance.
“He’s a great player. You’re not gonna shut a guy like that down,” McConnell mentioned. “It’s about making it as tough as potential. We threw 4 or 5 guys at him and he was still in a position to rating at will.
“We have to make some adjustments there, but like I said, just a phenomenal basketball player. He doesn’t have any weaknesses. We’ve gotta be a little bit better at making it hard for him.”
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