Getty Jalen Brunson bringing the ball up the court during Game Four against the Indiana Pacers on May 12.
The NBA playoffs are when competition peaks and tempers flare. Even for players like New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, typically reserved and stoic.
New York’s point guard had words with Indiana Pacers‘ star Pascal Siakam in Game 4, sparked by the blowout nature of the matchup.
A video on Twitter provides audio to what was exchanged between the two.
LEAKED Audio Of Tyrese Haliburton Trash Talking The Knicks👀:
“You can’t f*ck with me… Can’t guard me. No, no!”
Then, Jalen Brunson got into with Pascal Siakam after a shove:
“It’s a long f*cking series”
Going into halftime, Siakam shoved Brunson during the final play, prompting the Knicks’ point guard to send a message.
“It’s a long (expletive) series,” Brunson told Siakam.
Indiana’s win in Game 4 was a blowout, yes, but it only tied the series at 2-2.
In an NBA best of seven series, it’s always too early to begin celebrating.
New York will play Game 5 on their home floor at Madison Square Garden, and desperately need the home crowd to revitalize their efforts after scoring just 89 points in Game 4.
Expect the in-game trash talk to continue. And it’s not just between Brunson and Siakam.
Haliburton Taunts DiVincenzo
Tyrese Haliburton was quiet during Game One, when he scored just 6 points and committed 3 turnovers in a losing effort.
He’s averaging 29.7 points, 7 assists, and 1.7 steals over the subsequent three games, two of which, were Indiana wins.
Haliburton isn’t shying away from the conflict, and has openly mocked Knicks’ guard Donte DiVincenzo during games.
That same video highlighted his message to DiVincenzo mid-game in both Game 3 and Game 4.
“You can’t (expletive) with me!” was Haliburton’s message in Game 3.
He doubled down on his claim in Game 4, telling the crowd “He can’t guard me! No! No!” after hitting a three over DiVincenzo.
DiVincenzo, like Haliburton, has reversed course from his start to the series. Only his progression has been a regression.
Over the first 29.3 points on 6 made threes per game over the first three games of the series, DiVincenzo scored just 7 points on 3-of-13 shooting in the Game 4 blowout.
According to Stathead, it’s second only to a March 31 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder for his worst shooting performance in a game where he took 10 or more shots this season.
New York has stayed composed off the court, refraining from throwing shots at any Pacers player or the officials.
They’ll need to find their composure on the court, and play with some cohesion in Game 5.
But it will likely take Jalen Brunson playing more like himself to do so.
Brunson: ‘I’m Fine. I’m Fine.’
In a second-consecutive uncharacteristic outing, Brunson finished the Game 4 blowout with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
He was subbed out for good with 2:32 remaining in the third quarter. For as much as he played, it was obvious Brunson’s foot was affecting him, with most of his shot attempts falling well short of the basket.
But after the game, Brunson denied his injury the credit for his poor performance.
“I’m fine,” he told SNY on May 12. “I’m fine.”
He also refused to let an injury-ridden roster serve as excuse for New York.
“We can talk about fresher legs, we can give us all the pity that we want,” Brunson said on May 12. “Yeah, we’re shorthanded but that doesn’t matter right now. We have who we have, and we need to go forward with that. There is no ‘we’re shorthanded,’ there is no excuse. There is no excuse whatsoever. If we lose, we lose.”
It won’t be a long series for the New York Knicks if they can’t get Jalen Brunson back up to speed. A loss in Game 5 would put them in position to eliminated with a Game 6 loss in Indiana.