Jalen Brunson, Knicks confident ahead of playoff opener against Cavaliers
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 31, 2023, in Cleveland. Credit: AP/Ron Schwane
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Jalen Brunson, while sitting out the final three games to protect and heal his sprained right hand, hasn’t played since April 2. Julius Randle was back at practice on Tuesday, at least for part of it, but not yet cleared for contact, and hasn’t played in a game since March 29.
This is hardly the way to head into the postseason, crossing fingers that the two best players on the Knicks are ready to perform when they take the court Saturday night in Cleveland for Game 1 of the opening- round playoff series.
Randle was not made available to the media — he hasn’t spoken since suffering a sprained left ankle more than two weeks ago — but Brunson expressed the confidence that might speak for both of them.
“I’m able to do whatever I need to do,” Brunson said. “[The rest] definitely helps. But I’m ready to get going right now . . . I work too hard not to be confident in myself, that’s all.”
The Knicks got to work Tuesday at their training facility, preparing for Cleveland. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau described it as “laying out the plan, getting organized. Getting into who they are.”
The Knicks know who the Cavs are. You can be sure that Thibodeau and his staff will have the Knicks as familiar with Cleveland’s talent and tendencies as the Cavs are with themselves.
And the Knicks know who they are, too, and that is what they lean on as underdogs heading into this series.
“You said that like you’re surprised [that Knicks are underdogs] or something. Are you surprised by that?” RJ Barrett said. “ . . . We believed in ourselves since Day One. And we’re going to continue to believe in ourselves. At the end of the day we have to go on the court, show it and prove it. That’s what we’re going to do.”
“I like how hardworking we are,” Brunson said. “I love our mindset. This team’s chemistry has grown every single day throughout the year. I just think we have a great chemistry with each other.
“We know that we believe in each other. That’s half the battle. We’ve got to go out there and do our best. Obviously, we want the ball to roll our way a little bit but we’ve got to go out there and get it.”
Getting Randle healthy and right might be the biggest part of that happening. Brunson’s absence at the end of the season came once the Knicks were locked into the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference and more precautionary than a need to sit out. But Randle rarely misses a game — he played in all 77 before he suffered the injury — and with the front-line size of the Cavs with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley the Knicks need him on both ends of the floor.
“He did some [practice],” Thibodeau said. “Making steady progress. Taking it day to day. He’s doing some running, shooting, scripting, that sort of thing.”
“Well, first thing, I don’t think anybody is 100%,” Barrett said. “With Ju, he’s doing his rehab, he’s taking it day by day. So we’ll see what we got. I think everybody’s locked in to try to do their part to help contribute to winning for sure.”
Randle was the Knicks’ only All-Star this season, but Brunson is the player who has had the biggest impact and the very clear difference between this team and the Knicks playoff squad two years ago that collapsed in five games against Atlanta. And while Brunson has been a steadying influence on the Knicks in the regular season it was in the playoffs last year with the Mavericks — against Donovan Mitchell’s Utah Jazz — that Brunson began to show just how good he is.
That experience is what bolsters the Knicks as they face Mitchell on a loaded Cavaliers squad that has been one of the best in the NBA on both ends of the court. “I think it’s a progression of how I’ve been as a player,” Brunson said. “Every step of the way, I’ve found ways to get better and better. Every single year, every level I’m at. That’s been my mindset. What can I do to be the best player I can be, the most efficient player I can be and stay confident in myself.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
