All-Star Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks have won eight of their last 10 games, including an eight-game winning streak, as they head into the All-Star break with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference standings – 35-20. Since Brunson called a players-only meeting following a blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks — 114-97 — the Knicks have lost only two games in the past three weeks.
For Brunson, the Knicks' recent extension is an example of how successful they can be when everyone is on the same page, as the All-Star guard looks forward to closing out the regular season According to NBATV's Chris Haynes, he spoke on a high note before the postseason.
Brunson said, "It was more about proving myself than proving people wrong." "I just wanted to prove to myself that this is where I should be. No matter what happens, I'm not afraid to fail."
Before appearing in his third consecutive All-Star Game since joining the Knicks, Brunson had arguably one of his better seasons, averaging 27.0 points on 47.0% shooting, including 37.4% from deep, 6.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson's soul-searching demands for the Knicks
Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson booed his team after the loss to the Mavericks. According to ESPN, Brunson berated his team for not giving the effort they were capable of, but did not back down.
"There's a lot of things to figure out, but I mean, as a team, we know what we have to do," Brunson said. "It's either we do it, we care enough to do it, or we don't."
After the Knicks' defense gave up 75 points in the first half of a 17-point loss to the Mavericks, Brunson hasn't backed down and his team has never lost more than twice in 10 attempts.
