The New York Knicks were so close to winning Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday.
And then they suffered one of the biggest collapses in NBA history and are in a 1-0 hole against the Indiana Pacers.
Following the game, Jalen Brunson talked about how painful the loss was.
“In the playoffs, when you win, it’s the best thing ever. When you lose, it’s the worst thing ever. The best way to deal with all that is to stay levelheaded and making sure we have each other’s backs,” Brunson said, via New York Basketball.
"In the playoffs when you win it's the best thing ever. When you lose it's the worst thing ever. Stay levelheaded. Make sure we have each other's backs"
–– Jalen Brunson as Knicks lose Game 1 of ECF pic.twitter.com/bBqTabSNum
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 22, 2025
Brunson tried his hardest on Wednesday and put up a valiant effort.
He produced 43 points and five assists and helped the Knicks carve out a big lead.
With just a few minutes left on the clock, they were up by 14 points, and it looked like victory was theirs.
The Pacers had other plans, however, and their offensive onslaught wouldn’t stop, which led to overtime and the loss.
Brunson looked flabbergasted as he watched the win slip from his grip, and it was clear that he and his team were heartbroken.
The fans were also shocked and still reeling on Thursday morning.
A true team leader is able to respond to a loss, so it’ll be fascinating to see what Brunson does.
He already had a great game on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough.
That means he will need to do it again during Game 2, but also get even more players involved and stay consistent from beginning to end.
He said his team needs to stay levelheaded – can they do that after such a devastating defeat?
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