The Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers will include a personal connection between Jalen Brunson and Pacers’ head coach Rick Carlisle, as the latter was Brunson’s first head coach in the NBA during their time with the Dallas Mavericks.
Jalen Brunson will face off against his former coach Rick Carlisle in this series
The last game Carlisle coached for the Mavericks was Game 7 of the first round in the 2021 playoffs versus the L.A. Clippers, a game in which Brunson only played 10 minutes off the bench and Dallas would ultimately lose. Of course, this was well before Brunson became the player that he is today, but it still holds significance given his rapid ascension to superstar status.
ESPN’s Tim McMahon said on the Hoop Collective podcast that the star point guard will be playing this upcoming series with a chip on his shoulder.
“I can assure you this, Jalen Brunson remembers getting benched in that series,” said McMahon. “Jalen got a lot of the stuff that maybe should’ve been going to Luka. A lot of the film sessions were particularly harsh on Jalen.”
Brunson is not phased by past history with Carlisle
Brunson, however, said that facing his former head coach in the playoffs will not affect his mindset for the series.
“You’re in the playoffs now. There is no extra motivation. It is what it is,” said Brunson via SNY. “The past is the past. Rick welcomed me into his league and helped me grow from day one.”
The Knicks are getting a historic quality of play out of Brunson
Brunson has been on a tear in the playoffs thus far, coming off of a historic first round series versus the Philadelphia 76ers where he established himself as one of the Knicks franchise’s all-time best playoff performers. In his last four games, he is averaging 41.8 points and 10.3 assists.
Carlisle, who is in his third season as Pacers head coach and in his first playoff appearance with them, went on The Dan Patrick Show earlier this week and gave his thoughts on the transformation his former player has undergone since coming over to the Knicks in 2022.
“He’s a little bit of Steve Nash, there’s some James Harden, there’s some Dame Lillard. He’s doing something that is very uniquely him,” said Carlisle. “He’s a guy that has an extremely strong belief in himself. New York has turned him loose, it’s been amazing to watch. I’m very happy for him and very proud of him and very much not looking forward to playing him.”
Game 1 of the series begins Monday night at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will once again have home court advantage throughout the series and they will hope that Brunson can lead them to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years.
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