A winner of the NBA championship and Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce apologized to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks after his prediction that they wouldn't make it out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs didn't come true. bet Brunson and the Knicks beat the
in six games to move on. Philadelphia 76ers “First off, I want to apologize to the Knicks and Jalen Brunson for not showing them the respect they deserve,” said Pierce on
“Undisputed” on May 3. “But after this [first-round win], I have to give them credit. I didn't anticipate this, Skip (Bayless). When I looked at the series before it started, I thought Philadelphia had too much strength for the undermanned Knicks.” Even without three-time All-Star forward
Julius Randle and center Mitchell Robinson playing through injury to finish the series, the Knicks still had enough. “Did I know that Jalen Brunson was going to play well?” Pierce continued. “I thought he would play well. I didn’t know he was going to play this well.”
Jalen Brunson Proves Paul Pierce Wrong
Pierce had predicted that last season’s MVP
and this year’s Most Improved Player Joel Embiid Tyrese Maxey were the two best players with Brunson as the third-best in the series before it began. Brunson proved him wrong.
The Knicks' All-Star point guard just became the first NBA player to score 39 or more points in four consecutive playoff games since Michael Jordan in 1993, finishing off their first round win with 41 points in Game 6.
“I’m still shocked,” Pierce said, “truthfully that a guy like Jalen Brunson, who's had a great year, a phenomenal year, should possibly be on the All-NBA First Team. You can make a case for that right now. Jalen Brunson is arguably the most dominant player, he's the best player in the playoffs right now. I mean, not the best player but he’s playing the best.”
Pierce, also known as “The Truth,” finally accepted the reality that will forever be part of the Knicks' history.
It wasn't just Brunson who earned Pierce's great respect, but also Tom Thibodeau, who coached him in Boston during their title run in 2008.
“The Knicks should have given more thought to Coach Thibodeau for Coach of the Year because he’s been doing this all year with a short-handed team,” Pierce said.
Thibodeau finished
in the NBA Coach of the Year race, which was won by Oklahoma City Thunder’s Mark Daigneault. fifth Paul Pierce Makes Jalen Brunson Comparison
Pierce is reminded of the Celtics’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 with a small point guard when he sees the Knicks' playoff run with Brunson.
“Just when you thought a small guy like him couldn't do it, he continues to prove himself,” Pierce said. “So they're going to rely on him. He reminds me of when Isaiah Thomas was in Boston. Remember that run he had? They rode that to the Eastern Conference Finals and he just put on a show. A short guy you just didn't believe in. Lefty, same thing. It reminds me of that.”
But unlike Thomas, who became a one-season sensation after a hip injury, Brunson is more durable and has been performing at this level in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, dating back to his last year with the Mavericks.
Learn about why an NBA champion apologizes to the New York Knicks and their All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson.
