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Some of the most surprising news to come out of the New York Knicks as of late is the revelation that Finals MVP Jalen Brunson would undergo surgery to address lingering discomfort in his wrist that he apparently felt throughout the latter half of the playoffs, putting his championship performance into an entirely different light.
Brunson recently appeared in an interview with ESPN New York Radio where he shed some light on the circumstances of the injury and how he was feeling throughout the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals.
"There isn't a play I remember…I just remember being at three free throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and my wrist starting to feel weak," Brunson said (via NBA_New York on X). "From that point on it was figuring out what's going on and how I can proceed because I wasn't gonna get anything done during that time."
Brunson's injury was in his left wrist, which made things particular difficult as his left arm is what he preferred to shoot with, and considering the scoring responsibility that he had for the Knicks during their historic championship run, what he was able to accomplish looks that much more impressive.
His decision to push off any kind if surgery has obvious motivations considering that he was in the midst of leading his team on their first appearance to the Finals in the 21st century and eventually, their first championship in over 50 years, and by undergoing the surgery soon after the festivities of their victory had died down, he'll likely have mitigated any kind of delay to the regular season due to recovery time.
While Brunson didn't experience much of a downtick in his performance throughout the playoffs, some of his slow starts in the NBA Finals could at least warrant further inspection , but considering that he rallied to score 45 points in a closeout game and won Finals MVP, it clearly didn't hold him back enough to hinder the Knicks.
Across the board, the Knicks won their championship through grit, determination, togetherness and sacrifice.
That was the common trait for every player on the roster and for Brunson, who had the responsibility of leading the team and taking on the most physical burden considering the size disparity that he faced against so many opponents, that requisite grit and determination was even more significant.
Now looking at things in hindsight with the context of his injury, Brunson's performance stands out as one of the more impressive in modern NBA playoffs history.
Continue reading...
Brunson recently appeared in an interview with ESPN New York Radio where he shed some light on the circumstances of the injury and how he was feeling throughout the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals.
"There isn't a play I remember…I just remember being at three free throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and my wrist starting to feel weak," Brunson said (via NBA_New York on X). "From that point on it was figuring out what's going on and how I can proceed because I wasn't gonna get anything done during that time."
How the Injury Affected Brunson
Brunson's injury was in his left wrist, which made things particular difficult as his left arm is what he preferred to shoot with, and considering the scoring responsibility that he had for the Knicks during their historic championship run, what he was able to accomplish looks that much more impressive.
His decision to push off any kind if surgery has obvious motivations considering that he was in the midst of leading his team on their first appearance to the Finals in the 21st century and eventually, their first championship in over 50 years, and by undergoing the surgery soon after the festivities of their victory had died down, he'll likely have mitigated any kind of delay to the regular season due to recovery time.
While Brunson didn't experience much of a downtick in his performance throughout the playoffs, some of his slow starts in the NBA Finals could at least warrant further inspection , but considering that he rallied to score 45 points in a closeout game and won Finals MVP, it clearly didn't hold him back enough to hinder the Knicks.
Playing Through Adversity
Across the board, the Knicks won their championship through grit, determination, togetherness and sacrifice.
That was the common trait for every player on the roster and for Brunson, who had the responsibility of leading the team and taking on the most physical burden considering the size disparity that he faced against so many opponents, that requisite grit and determination was even more significant.
Now looking at things in hindsight with the context of his injury, Brunson's performance stands out as one of the more impressive in modern NBA playoffs history.
Continue reading...
