Point the finger at me, Jalen Brunson repeatedly said.
Don’t fault the absence of Julius Randle or the ugly 3-point shooting for the Knicks’ defeat.
This loss was on Brunson.
“Today,” the Knicks’ accountable leader said, “I was horrific.”
That’s up for debate.
But clearly the 108-101 loss to the Heat on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals wasn’t Brunson’s best performance, though he scored 25 points on 11-of-23 shooting and added seven assists.
Brunson started out missing seven of his first eight shots. He didn’t hit a single 3-pointer in seven attempts and he committed five turnovers, his most this postseason.
Brunson only had 12 in the entire opening-round series against the Cavaliers, during which he was the best player on the floor.
“Inside the 3 point line, I was pretty efficient,” he said. “Outside the 3-point line, I was terrible. They’re a good team, great [defensively], well coached, experienced. So you gotta give them credit, but for me, I gotta be better.”
The Heat threw different defenders at Brunson, using length, strength and quickness. Jimmy Butler spent large portions of the game defending him.
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That worked in Miami’s favor when Brunson missed from deep and Butler was able to leak out for easy baskets at the other end of the floor.
It was a big part of the Heat’s monster third quarter, when they took control of the game.
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“Jimmy primarily was guarding me, so for me, I need to be able to sprint back and protect the basket,” Brunson said. “When other guys are going to the rim or shooting, I can’t be lackadaisical on that part. I’m going to keep saying it: This is on me today.”
Brunson has faulted himself plenty this season after losses, and he has typically responded well the next game.
The Knicks will need that to continue Tuesday at the Garden to get even in the series.