The last time Pistons won a playoff game, LeBron James had zero rings and Stephen Curry wasn’t even an NBA player. The year was 2008. So, the odds were clearly in the Knicks’ favor when they headed into tonight’s opening series clash against the Detroit team. Already a game up, playing in Madison Square Garden, Jalen Brunson and Co. were destined to win. Right? Wrong!

Accomplishing what they couldn’t on Saturday, the Pistons got off to a hot start yet again. But this time, they went all the way to the finish line and beat the Knicks at home. Thus, tying the series at one game apiece. Sure, Brunson dropped a game-high 37 points and tried his best to muscle a comeback, but it wasn’t enough. Despite dishing out seven assists, he failed to involve his teammates in the game. Later, he took accountability for it.

“It’s tough when there’s one ball and a lot of great players on this team, and definitely it’s on my shoulders. I’m not going to point fingers and say some people didn’t do that and this. It’s on me to make sure I set the table. So, I’ll go back and figure out what I need to do.” JB said post-game.

Well, he is the Knicks’ primary ball handler, and it’s his job to create great looks for his teammates. Unfortunately, he failed to do it tonight, especially for Karl-Anthony Towns. Unlike most nights, KAT had an underwhelming outing, finishing with only 10 points on 5 of 11 shooting. Also, his usage in the fourth quarter was extremely low as he didn’t take a shot in the final 17:20.

So, Brunson plans on fixing this issue by having some tough locker room discussions, “Yeah, definitely taking each possession at a time and trying to figure out the best course of action… We’ll have conversations and we’ll come back better for Game 3.” Hopefully, JB will not notice the same issues that frustrated him tonight.

Jalen Brunson reveals what hurt the Knicks in Game 2 but maintains trust in teammates

Apart from taking accountability for his teammates’ disappointing performance, the point guard also hinted at frustration about how they collectively played the game. “Yeah, I felt like we got a lot of good looks. And we kind of let missed shots affect us. You can’t control what you can’t control. I think that’s a big key in winning or losing control and make sure you’re always fighting back and you can’t let up at any point,” he remarked, revealing the team’s mentality in Game 2.

Well, the New York team shot only 42% from the field, which seemingly hurt their morale and led to their eventual loss.

However, Brunson believes that the problem will be fixed going forward. “So, it’s all kind of reading what the defense does. Doesn’t matter who’s on who. We have the utmost trust in everyone on this team. Doesn’t matter the situations people are put in, we’re gonna sit there and we’re gonna have each other’s back when we go forward. We’re gonna win together, we’re gonna lose together, and we’re gonna learn together. It’s as simple as that.”

Moreover, he has faith in Towns to bounce back from tonight’s disappointing outing, “My approach stays the same, attacking the basket… We have a guy who’s probably gonna be a smaller guy guarding KAT. So, KAT’s able to either take them to the post or play on the perimeter, which everybody wants. That’s his game. That’s what he do.”

With that mindset, you can expect the Knicks to come out more prepared on Thursday as they head to Detroit for Game 3. Thoughts?