Knicks' Tom Thibodeau won't rest until Jalen Brunson gets overdue star treatment from officials

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson gestures after scoring a three-point basket against the Nets in the first half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
You ask Jalen Brunson about what you know you saw: Contact that had him hobbled late in the game. It was a foul earlier in the game where D’Angelo Russell raked down across his head and the Knicks begged officials to review it for a flagrant foul.
And even before you ask you know what the response will be. “No comment,” Brunson said, pausing for a moment as he thought of options for an answer before adding, “I couldn’t think of anything clever enough.”
What Brunson will say is mostly in gestures. He throws up his arms in the direction of officials as he finishes a drive to the rim and hopes for a call. But Tom Thibodeau was not willing to let it pass in silence.
Every so often the Knicks coach will take up the case and any question on nearly any subject can lead to him diverting the subject back to his chosen quest. And in this case that quest is to see Brunson, who regularly seeks out contact, get rewarded and protected by the officials.
So the question for Thibodeau after Tuesday’s win in Brooklyn was what he thought of Brunson’s ability to deliver the big shots in the big spots, even on a night when he didn’t have it going. And the answer, well, it wasn’t about shot-making or mental toughness. He’d get around to those later. But instead, he made a point.
“I just want to take a look at . . . that last play on the drive, I don’t know.” Thibodeau said. “I send clips in [to the league]. I do it all. What goes on with him is ridiculous. It really is. I’ll leave it at that.”
But Thibodeau wasn’t about to leave it at that.
“My thing is I just want consistency,” Thibodeau said. “It’s obvious what happened on that drive. It was a take foul in the first quarter. I don’t know what the discrepancy in the free throws was but it was big [it was 25 to 14 for the Nets]. It was big. And we’re attacking the basket. . . . A guy gets fouled you’ve got to call it. It’s your job.”
It’s not an easy argument to take a side on if you aren’t in blue and orange. Brunson ranks ninth in the NBA in free-throw attempts per game (7.1) and fourth among backcourt players behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker and Trae Young. And Brunson ranks behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander in free throws per drive.
It’s not the first time Thibodeau has made the case and likely not the last. It's a preemptive strike utilized by many coaches throughout the years. He was on the bench when Jeff Van Gundy and Phil Jackson would engage in public debates meant to get a call in the next game. And that’s the case here. Brunson fought through what was a rough night for him as the Nets threw bodies at him like most teams do and he struggled with his shot. But he emerged as the hero down the stretch, scoring eight of his 17 points in the final 2:18 of the game to help the Knicks survive.
So it wasn’t just about a call on that night, but for the next night or one down the line when the echoes of Thibodeau’s rants might get an official to blow the whistle in one uncertain moment.
For the Knicks, the margin of error is thin, the talent tightly packed into a starting five, and maybe the whistle will prevent an injury that ruins the hopes for the season. To see him hobbling through those final minutes or Towns struggling to play through a sprained right thumb, it’s easy to see why. Or maybe it will just mean one more free throw to make a difference in a game.
Brunson won’t say. Thibodeau will.
“I hate to harp on it,” Thibodeau said. “But I want to look at the film because I did not like the way that game went.”
And what way is that?
“Write what you see,” Thibodeau said.
What we see is a hard-driving point guard taking the blows and what we hear is a coach trying to make sure that Brunson gets the treatment he deserves for what he is now. He's an All-Star, All-NBA player who has earned the star treatment from the officials and isn’t getting it yet.