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“Unacceptable.”
Jalen Brunson was hard on himself after carrying the New York Knicks to one shot away from either tying or taking the lead down the stretch, only to falter in the end.
The Miami Heat’s playoff experience came to the fore in crunch time as they held on to a 96-92 win Friday night that eliminated the gritty but young Knicks team led by Brunson, 4-2, in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Brunson’s costly turnover — an errant pass to Julius Randle against a double team — with 16.4 seconds left spoiled his 41-point effort. He became the first Knicks player to have three straight playoff games with at least 30 points since Patrick Ewing in May 1990. But none of them matters now as they saw the franchise’s best season in a decade ended in an excruciating finish.
“I like the way we fought this past couple of games. Down two with the ball [in my hands], I gotta give us a chance to even get a shot attempt, and that turnover is just unacceptable,” Brunson told reporters after the loss. “So yeah, it’s tough.”
It was a tough night for the Knicks offensively, as they bled for points after squandering a 14-point lead early in the game. Brunson was the only Knick who shot well, going 14-of-22 from the field. The rest of the team could only produce 51 points on a combined 13-for-49 shooting.
Julius Randle, the Knicks’ All-Star and All-NBA player, came up with a double-double (15 points and 11 rebounds) but shot a horrible 3-for-14 in an elimination game.
RJ Barrett also played his worst game since the first two games of the opening round, shooting a putrid 1-of-10 from the field for only 11 points.
A Learning Experience for Knicks
Despite the disappointing end, the Knicks overachieved this season.
Pegged to win only 38.5 games, the Knicks went on to surpass that with 47 wins and the fifth seed. They pummeled the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-1, for their first playoff series win in a decade.
“We did a lot of great things this season,” Brunson said. “Obviously, we want to continue to keep playing and have the opportunity. It stings a little bit. It’s definitely a learning experience, but if we don’t win, you lose.”
Brunson’s rise gives hope that the Knicks have finally found stability. They have a young roster with no player older than 28 in their playoff rotation.
Where they go from here is a question that their front office will answer in the coming weeks.
Will Knicks Go Star-Hunting?
After going two wins away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, will the Knicks run it back or go star-hunting this summer?
The Knicks have 11 first-round picks over the next seven drafts and intriguing young players who took a step forward this season at their disposal to chase for a star to improve the roster.
“For weeks, people around the league have been predicting fireworks in the trade market,” SNY’s Ian Begley reported in the aftermath of New York’s second-round exit.
Minnesota’s All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been heavily linked to the Knicks this past couple of weeks. But more could become available after a new champion will be crowned next month.
If they decide to run it back, the Knicks have the $12.2 million non-taxpayer and $4.5 million bi-annual exception, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, to improve on the margins.
The Knicks are also likely to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Josh Hart using his Bird Rights.
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