Jalen Brunson and His Knicks Fumbling Game 2 Against Tyrese Haliburton’s Pacers has Basketball Fans in Splits: “This is Karma”

The New York Knicks needed a response from Jalen Brunson and his teammates to level the East Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

Jalen Brunson and His Knicks Fumbling Game 2 Against Tyrese Haliburton’s Pacers has Basketball Fans in Splits: “This is Karma”

Jalen Brunson and his Knicks lost again to Tyrese Haliburton and his Pacers in ECF (Image via FirstSportz)

Tyrese Haliburton and his Indiana Pacers have become a thorn in the playoffs. They have displayed a resilience that has helped them come back from deficits to win games and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. When it came to Jalen Brunson and his New York Knicks to face them, the pattern repeated.

In Game 1, the home team was up by 14 with nearly 3 minutes left to go in the game. With such a short amount of time available, no one expected them to lose. 970 teams had won their games when up by that much, and the Knicks became the first team to lose.

That embarrassment stunned New Yorkers and basketball fans alike as Haliburton’s ‘choke’ gesture came true. But the Big Apple fans hoped that the Game 1 embarrassment would drive their team to get revenge and even things out in Game 2.

Jalen Brunson and his teammates ensured the Pacers were within reach. For much of the game, they defended well. Late in the 4th quarter, the Pacers had a slight lead, but the game was still within reach, and all the Knicks had to do was score and defend.

Their defense was much better than they did in Game 1, and that helped the home team force some missed shots. The deficit came down to 3 points with just 1 minute left in the game, which came down to just 1 point with 14.7 seconds left.

But then, on the inbound pass, Brunson tugged Aaron Nesmith‘s jersey, drawing a foul to send the deficit back up by three. On the following possession, the star guard, fearing a foul was coming, launched a three from deep. It clanked off the rim and into the hands of Myles Turner, stopping any chance of a win.

Basketball fans troll Knicks fans after falling 0-2 in East Finals

Basketball fans watched the entire sequence of the fourth quarter, where they saw the New York Knicks come close to winning Game 2, yet lose after committing a couple of mistakes. They turned to troll New Yorkers, suggesting it was karma after they bullied a Pacers fan.

Others joined in to pile further injury to their wounds by suggesting that the team does not have what it takes to be a champion. Their cockiness has led them this juncture and will continue to hamper their chances of ever achieving basketball greatness if it continues. Check out examples of those comments below.

The New York Knicks fans might as well start to rein in their over-the-top celebrations without winning anything. Their behavior has ticked off other basketball fans, and they will not stop from trolling them at every opportune moment.

Jalen Brunson and his Knicks are facing a difficult situation

Before the East Finals started, many believed the New York Knicks helped themselves by finishing ahead of the Indiana Pacers in the regular season. That would give them a chance to win the first two games at Madison Square Garden with their passionate fans rallying behind them.

Knicks have to improve their defense to stay in the East Finals
Knicks have to improve their defense to stay in the East Finals (Image via Rolling Stone/X)

But so far, Jalen Brunson and his teammates have made it difficult for them. They are staring at the possibility of ending their season at this juncture, especially if they cannot fix their mistakes and win the next two games.

Brunson scored a team high 36 points. But his decision to launch a three from that deep did not help matters. He needs to be better at his decision-making late in the game. The onus should also fall on his teammates, as they could not replicate their play from the second-round win against the Boston Celtics.

Their defense did not slow Tyrese Haliburton and his Pacers down enough. Their offense was not efficient in the closing stretches. They also need to figure out how to play smarter when the pressure is high. Fix all those errors, and they should be fine. Otherwise, they will be left regretting the choices they made.

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