What the Knicks and Jalen Brunson did en route to the organization’s first NBA championship in 53 years was astounding, and it was made more spectacular after it was revealed that the Knicks point guard was playing a portion of the playoffs with an injury that required surgery.
Now, we know when Brunson was injured.
Speaking with ESPN Radio’s Don, Hahn & Rosenberg on Wednesday, Brunson was asked about the injury. The Knicks captain couldn’t pinpoint when he got hurt exactly, but knew he was hurt earlier than many believed.
“I’m good. Obviously, it’s going to take a little bit of time,” Brunson said. “There isn’t a play where I remember it happening; I just remember being at the free-throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and my wrist is starting to feel weak.
“From that point on, it was just trying to figure out what was going on and how to proceed because I wasn’t going to get anything done during that time.”
That game saw Brunson score 19 points in 40 minutes in the Knicks’ 109-93 win to take a 2-0 series lead, a series they wound up sweeping. But Brunson would have bigger moments in the NBA Finals. He helped lead the improbable comeback in Game 4 and scored a franchise-record 43 points in Game 5 to clinch the title.
All with an injury to his shooting hand.
SNY’s Ian Begley reported that Brunson underwent surgery to repair a left wrist/forearm injury earlier this month and that Brunson is expected to need at least two months for rehab/recovery.
Despite getting injured, Brunson wouldn’t trade the experience, especially doing it in New York.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, honestly,” Brunson said of life after winning the title. “Once we won and everything, everything was up high…everything after we won was amazing. And then getting back to real life, it was probably best to get surgery done for my wrist. That brought me back down. But I would do it all again.”
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