Saturday’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals didn’t end the way the Knicks wanted after losing to the Indiana Pacers, 125-108, and ending their season.
While it’s hard to look on the bright side after a disappointing end to the season, one that was two wins away from New York being in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, Jalen Brunson was asked about what positives could be taken from an otherwise successful season.
“I think the way this team progressed this year, for me, it was fun,” Brunson said. “A lot of people saying we couldn’t do a lot of things, a lot of negativity around what we were trying to accomplish and the way we kind of put blinders on and went to work, that’s what I’m most proud of with this team.”
After finishing with their best record since the 2012-13 season, the Knicks showed a lot of grit and were able to play through tons of adversity.
Whether it was Brunson’s injury towards the end of the season, losing every regular season game against the top teams in the NBA in the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics or going further in the playoffs than most thought they would, the Knicks proved a lot of doubters wrong.
Not to mention, the onslaught of critics of head coach Tom Thibodeau and how the addition of new players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges would work in his system.
“You make the moves to win so it hurts. It hurts not to be able to bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” Towns said. “We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and the plan now is to just put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.”
And while it’s hard to think about in this moment, the Knicks, indeed, are set up for success in the future.
Not only have they improved their regular season record over the last four years, New York has gotten further in the postseason in each season during that time as well.
And if you ask Brunson if he thinks this team has what it takes to take that final leap, it isn’t even a question.
“The most confidence. Over-confident, seriously,” he said. “There’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident in this group.”
“You’re always gonna hear me say run it back,” Josh Hart added. “I think I said the same thing last year of the guys that we had. I’d like to do it, I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step.”
But while looking toward the future can be a mini escape of what just transpired, nobody on the Knicks is pleased with the result of the season, not yet at least.
“Sucks man. Simple as that, it sucks,” Brunson said.
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