In the biggest spots and most pressurized moments, Josh Hart has full faith in Jalen Brunson.
It reminds Hart of his trust in former teammate Damian Lillard, who is so famously clutch he was nicknamed “Dame Time.”
“I have a lot of faith [in Brunson]. It was one of those things just like playing with Dame,” said Hart, who played alongside Lillard spanning two seasons with the Trail Blazers.
“Dame was like, ‘All right, we keep this game close in the last two minutes, I can go win it for us.’
“My short stint with Dame and in Portland, that was my mentality. It was make sure the game is within striking distance in the last couple of minutes, and Dame can go do what Dame does. And it’s the same thing with Jalen.”
Brunson has been a one-man show in the playoffs, averaging 33.9 points while constantly under defensive pressure.
Though Brunson’s efficiency is down a tad in clutch time during the playoffs, he’s led the offense, and the Knicks are 6-2 in games when the score was within five points in the final five minutes.
He’s averaging 10 points in fourth quarters during the playoffs.
“I have all the trust in the world for him to go out there and make the right play, and sometimes it’s not scoring,” Hart said before the Knicks face the Pacers in a critical Game 6 on Friday night. “But it’s just him making the right play, and it’s the same mentality of keeping this game close [so Brunson can finish it].If it’s a back-and-forth game, give him the ball at the end, and I’ve got full trust in him winning it.”
Brunson, who won two NCAA titles at Villanova and has elevated his play in his past three NBA playoffs, agreed that he embraces the high-pressure games.
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“I’m definitely excited for those moments,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to go out there and compete. For me, I was always taught by parents to never be afraid to fail, no matter what the situation is. If you lose, you learn from it.”
OG Anunoby was officially ruled out of Game 6, his fourth straight absence with a hamstring strain.
He is doing “very light work” on the practice court, Tom Thibodeau said Thursday.
The coach added Anunoby “is doing a little bit more” than his previous update two days prior.
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Anunoby, the Knicks’ top defender, suffered the injury in the third quarter of a Game 2 win. They’re 26-5 with him in the lineup.
Asked if the next step for Anunoby is running, Thibodeau responded, “That’s a medical question.”
The Knicks are hoping Anunoby returns during the conference finals, according to reports.
Thibodeau playfully issued an invitation to chat to ESPN writer Tim Keown — who, in the process of publishing a profile on the Knicks coach, uncovered a photo of a young and svelte Knicks coach lounging on the beach.
The photo of the college-aged Thibodeau made the social media rounds and was shown by Keown to a professional needler.
Hart immediately took a picture of the picture.
“Anyone who knows who the writer is, Tim, tell him I’m looking for him,” Thibodeau smiled. “And to give it to Josh Hart? Are you kidding me, of all the people.”
