The New York Knicks are currently on a three-game losing streak. Major injury-related absences are being felt more than ever as most teams begin to enter postseason mode. No other team activates that playoff mode better than Erik Spoelstra’s Miami Heat and it has come at the expense of the Jalen Brunson-led team. Frustrations are running high for this team, and coach Tom Thibodeau outlined one of the reasons why.
There wasn’t much disparity in fouls and free throws during the Knicks vs. Heat. In fact, both teams racked up 17 calls and also had 21 opportunities at the free throw line. But coach Tom Thibodeau believes his team should have been given the benefit of more whistles along the way. To put it simply, the Knicks boss didn’t like the way Jalen Brunson was officiated at all. He also repeatedly made a statement in his postgame press conference, via New York Basketball.
“He’s getting fouled,” Tom Thibodeau said six times before returning to the locker room.
Jalen Brunson’s playing style was clearly unbalanced because of this. He managed to sink just 27.8% of his field goal attempts for 20 points. His long-range shooting also suffered as he posted a horrible three-point percentage of 16.7%. However, the Knicks’ star guard managed to get 10 attempts at the charity stripe and knocked down nine of them. Obviously, this wasn’t enough for the Knicks boss.