Jalen Brunson shot and fought to keep the title hopes alive for the New York Knicks. His shooting and scoring forced six games in this NBA Playoffs battle. But it wasn't enough as the Indiana Pacers snatched Game 6, plus the Eastern Conference title.
Brunson was blunt after the 125-108 loss. He dropped an eight-word admission of how he's taking this loss.
“It sucks man. Simple as that. It sucks,” Brunson said.
Expand Tweet
Brunson didn't have a wide range of words to say. Yet showed how discontent and disappointed he is about the final result. Especially after delivering one resilient shooting night after another.
How Jalen Brunson fared in Game 6, plus entire Pacers-Knicks series
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) in the second quarter during game six of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Brunson rose as the one Knicks player New York wanted to get the ball to. He walked into the Pacers' home averaging 30.1 points per game in this series.
Indiana, however, sent a gold and blue tidal wave on him. Defenders washed away scoring opportunities for Brunson. He went on to shoot only 44.4% from field goal range. Brunson even settled for a lowly 28.6% three-point percentage. The Pacers contained him to only 19 points — the lowest scoring output from Brunson in this series.
Brunson received harsh criticism online. He even got trolled by Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark — who sat courtside.
Article Continues Below
Expand Tweet
Magic Johnson even joined in on calling out Brunson. The five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers mentioned Brunson as the blame for the loss.
“The New York Knicks lost Game 6 because their two superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns didn’t play well. They also didn’t control the pace of game,” he posted on X.
The Knicks and Brunson now must recharge, plus refocus during the offseason. But has Brunson lost confidence in the direction the Knicks are going? The sharpshooter believes NYK has enough to fuel another run.
“The most confidence. Overconfident. Seriously. Not an ounce of doubt,” Brunson said.
He then fired off one last message after taking the latest exit to the Pacers.
“We're going to go into the summer, we're going to work, and we're going to get better. We're going to figure out a way how we can change this outcome,” Brunson said.
He ends the season averaging 26 points per game while improving his FG shooting to 48.8%. He also averaged a career-best 7.3 assists per game.