SUMMARY
- Charles Barkley still believes the Knicks aren't that impressive despite going 2-0 in the second round.
- The Knicks may possibly add OG Anunoby to the injury list while Jalen Brunson leads the pack.
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks put on a spectacular show during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers. There were quite a few setbacks earlier on in the game for the Knicks with Brunson’s thigh injury. However, he returned during the second half to score 24 of his 29 points in the game.
“I’m just happy I did [return]. I’ll be honest with you, we found the way. That’s it,” Brunson told Chris Haynes after the game. The Villanova Trio scored a combined total of 76 points in the game, leaving the Pacers down 0-2. However, Charles Barkley still isn’t convinced that the Knicks are as strong as they are. He said, “I want to say, if the Knicks win that’ll be good. I don’t care who wins. But I’ll tell you what, I would love to see them get their a** stomped by the Celtics, that’d be great.”
Barkley continued, “I’m just saying whoever wins this series [is] going to get stomped by the Celtics. Cause the New Yorkers, y’all deserve it. Cause y’all think y’all the greatest thing since sliced bread. Come on, y’all ain’t that good in New York. Come on man, y’all overrated. Just cause y’all make good pizza and good bagels… [But] I ain’t going to say anything bad about the street meat.” New York will head over to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse at Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4.
Shaquille O’Neal believes the Knicks can be successful even without Jalen Brunson
Though Jalen Brunson exited the game during the first half, the Knicks managed to maintain a 10-point deficit. Players like OG Anunoby and Donte DiVincenzo upped their presence and delivered 28 points each. Shaquille O’Neal believes the Pacers need to find a way to contain the Knicks’ role players.
He said, “What the Knicks have shown us is that Six of those seven guys can and will get off. So for Indiana to have a chance at home because we all know role players play better at home. But for Indiana to have a chance, you can’t let OG [Anunoby] get 28, Josh [Hart] get 19 [points] and 15 rebounds, and DiVincenzo get 28.”
The Knicks also did a better job grabbing offensive rebounds. Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein had 15 and 12 rebounds respectively. They also didn’t allow Pascal Siakam or Myles Turner to have much of an impact on Indiana’s offense.
The Knicks get stomped by injuries in Game 2
The Knicks are already plagued by injuries and it’s baffling to know they’ve reached the second round without Julius Randle. Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic are the other two role players who are in the injury lineup right now. Anunoby was dealing with a hamstring injury in Game 2 that sat him out for the second half.
Jalen Brunson left the game in the first quarter, missed the entire rest of the first half
He came back in the second half and dropped 24 points while hobbled, special special player
— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) May 9, 2024
After all that they’ve achieved as a team, injuries might be a major reason why they might lose to the Pacers. As for now, there aren’t any updates on whether Anunoby will return for Game 3. Jalen Brunson seems to be doing fairly well despite missing a good chunk of the first half. Brunson is likely to return for their upcoming game at Indianapolis.