"You're gonna be fine" - Tom Thibodeau not worried about Jalen Brunson playing 48 minutes
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat 112-103 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night.
New York was led by Brunson, who finished with a game-high 38 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four 3-pointers on 54.5% shooting. The star point guard did so while being one of two Knicks players (Quentin Grimes) to play all 48 minutes in the game.
Following the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about his decision to not rest Jalen Brunson. Thibodeau replied by stating that he wasn’t worried about Brunson as pushing yourself in the playoffs is what is expected from professional athletes.
“These are world-class athletes,” he said.
“This is how they come up. So if you condition yourself for that workload, you're gonna be fine.”
Tom Thibodeau on Grimes and Brunson each playing 48 minutes: "These are world-class athletes. This is how they come up. So if you condition yourself for that workload, you're gonna be fine."
Thibodeau added that if Brunson needed to take a break, he would have asked to come out of the game. However, the former Dallas Mavericks star never did so. The Knicks coach said this is because Brunson prepares himself physically for these kinds of moments.
“If he needed a blow, he would have told me,” Thibodeau said.
“This time of the year, you’re gonna see guys get big minutes. The thing I love about him is you prepare yourself for that.
“So, I’ve never seen anyone work the way he does. He does it in front of everyone, he does it in our gym, he does it all summer long, he does it at a game speed. He never has to adjust in a game because of the way he prepares himself.
“He conditions himself to play big minutes. Just a tremendous leader.”
When asked about Brunson’s 38-point performance in Game 5, Thibodeau then raved about his star point guard:
“Yeah, what can you say about the guy?” Thibodeau said.
“He’s just an incredible all-around player, great leader, great toughness, mental toughness, physical toughness, ability to think on his feet, ability to lead, ability to connect with people, bring the best out of people. That’s what makes him special play after play.”
Jalen Brunson on his monster Game 5 performance against Miami
After his 38-point performance in Game 5 against the Heat, Jalen Brunson was asked to put his big night into perspective. He provided a very brief answer, saying that he was just trying to get the win.
“I just tried to do everything I could to win,” Brunson said.
“We did that, and now it’s on to Game 6.”
Following Game 5, the Miami Heat lead the New York Knicks 3-2 in their second-round series. Game 6 will take place on Friday in Miami.
Also read: "We call that a Thibs special" - NBA fans hail Jalen Brunson as he plays the entire game and carries the Knicks to victory