On Thursday night, the New York Knicks turn their backs against the wall at home. The Indiana Pacers have a 3-1 series lead and have one victory from the NBA Finals.
New York needs victory to keep the season alive. On Thursday morning, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg hosted Get Up. He ranted a rumour about the Knicks and All-Star PG Jaren Branson. Greenberg claimed that Branson carried a “very average” Knicks team to the Eastern Conference Finals.
How much does Jalen Brunson carry the Knicks in the postseason?
“Jalen Brunson is dragging a very average team into the Eastern Conference Finals.”
(🎥 @getupespn ))
– nbacentral (@thedunkcentral) May 29, 2025
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg hosted Getup on Thursday and shared a hot take on Jalen Brunson. Greenberg said the All-Star PG brought a “very average” Knicks team to the Eastern Conference Finals. There’s no denying that Branson is New York’s best player in the postseason. That’s not worth debate. However, it may be stretch to say that Branson carried the “Knicks” “only” to the ECF. What’s more, New York is far from a “very average” team.
Branson played a large part of the Knicks’ scoring load in the 2025 playoffs. He scored over 20 points in 14 of his 16 games. Additionally, he won over 30 in nine of his 16 games and over 40 in two of his 16 games. Jalen Brunson was spectacular for New York in the playoffs, but he hasn’t done it on his own. Karl-Anthony Towns averages 21.3 points per game this postseason.
Towns scored more than 20 points in 10 of New York’s 16 games in the 2025 playoffs. He has two games with over 30 points. The Knicks needed Cat productions as much as Branson needed. Greenberg may have exaggerated his take a bit. New York is far from a “very average” team. They finished third in East this season and have a strong core of players. In the ECF, the Knicks are defeated by the Pacers. So they head to Game 5 down 3-1 to Indiana on Thursday.