After fighting back from a 15-point deficit to conquer their ninth-consecutive triumph over the Pacers, Jalen Brunson was left speechless this Thursday night during his on-court interview. Not only did the player drop 40 points and picked up 5 rebounds, he was essential in their last-minute comeback after hitting 11 points during the rally.
With the score 109-105 on the scoreboard, the point guard was summoned to the center of the court for his live postgame interview. The entire Madison Square Garden took the opportunity to celebrate his first-ever All-Star selection with MVP chants all around the arena.
The 27-year-old was very emotional when expected to say something about New York’s impressive run, as well as being listed as one of the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves. “I mean… I got nothing to say,” he said when asked how it felt to receive so much love.
Jalen Brunson speechless after hearing the MSG crowd
brb getting emotional 🥲
(via @KnicksMSGN)pic.twitter.com/JGmA9vwaP6
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 2, 2024
He was finally able to utter: “No matter what, we’re going to keep fighting. That’s what we do. Especially here. This place is unbelievable.”
His coach Tom Thibodeau later recognized how surreal his star’s rise has been in Manhattan. “I think back to when he was a kid coming here in the ’90s, you never knew. You knew he was a great kid, he’s always had that,” he said. “But he was so serious, even then. Whether he was doing an imitation of Latrell Sprewell or, Allan Houston, or Larry Johnson, or Patrick [Ewing], he had it spot on. He was like six, and he had all their moves down.”
So far this campaign Jalen has averaged 26.8 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per contest. His teammate Julius Randle was also selected to the All-Star weekend, but will miss it as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder.
“I’m hopeful that Julius makes it, as well,” the Knicks coach said about his star players. “Those things are also a byproduct of the team winning. Obviously, they have to play well, but I know from my end when I’m voting and it’s one of the worst feelings that there is, is there’s a lot of guys who are having great seasons that are deserving and then it comes down to the team’s winning. And I think that goes in our favor and it goes into the impact that they have on winning.”
Forward Randle will miss All-Star Game as he’ll be out 2-3 weeks with dislocated shoulder
Despite being summoned as an All-Star for a third time in his career, Julius Randle will miss this year’s celebrations in Indianapolis. This Thursday the Knicks announced that their forward would be reevaluated in two to three weeks for the dislocated shoulder he’s endured since last Saturday night’s win over the Heat.
Before Thursday’s clash against the Pacers at the Madison Square Garden, his coach Tom Thibodeau delivered the news. “He’s already begun the rehab,” he told the press. “So just let him work his way through it. Encouraged, upbeat, [we’ll] see how it unfolds.”
The veteran had to leave last weekend’s match late in the fourth quarter after injuring his shoulder when Miami rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. took a charge and clashed with him. The 29-year-old will be reevaluated either at the beginning of the All-Star Break around February 14, or at the start of their post-break schedule which begins in Philadelphia on February 22.
Thibodeau wasn’t sure about the details of his athlete’s medical situation, but it seems Julius has avoided surgery. “I don’t know the specifics on it. I know the rehab has started and I feel sorry for the [physical therapists],” the tactician shared. “You know the way Julius works. So he’s upbeat and he’s feeling better. So just take it day by day and hopefully everything goes well.”
