Jalen Brunson struggled on both ends against the Atlanta Hawks late in the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Monday. Brunson’s inability to drag the New York Knicks to the finish line allowed the Hawks to outlast the home team 107-106 and tie the series 1-1.
In an interview with the New York Daily News on Tuesday, former Knicks star Stephon Marbury shared his thoughts on what Brunson needs to do in the series:
“I feel like Jalen Brunson has to play like Allen Iverson and John Stockton. He has to find a balance. I don’t think it’s a hard transition for him because he’s smart, and he’s astute, and because he’s smart and astute, he’s aware of what happened.”
Late in the fourth quarter, the Hawks’ Game 2 hero, CJ McCollum, hunted Jalen Brunson on defense in two crucial plays. On both occasions, McCollum scored to help the Hawks pull the stunning road upset.
Defense wasn’t just where Brunson stuttered in the crucial minutes. Kristian Winfield, who reported the interview with Stephon Marbury, wrote:
“(Brunson) can get his own shot at any moment, but far too often, the offense stagnates: It happened in crunch time against the Hawks when Brunson took eight shots in the final eight minutes while Karl-Anthony Towns took just two.”
Winfield added:
“In the locker room after the Game 2 loss, several Knicks players pointed to the same issue: lack of ball movement and fluidity down the stretch.”
NBA legends Allen Iverson and John Stockton were two of the best at the point guard position. Iverson was one of the greatest scorers in league history, who could set up teammates when needed. Stockton was arguably the best to ever run an offense, but the maestro could also help with the scoring load.
Marbury is convinced that Brunson has what it takes to be a more complete player. The former All-Star guard also backed coach Mike Brown to make the defensive adjustments to help Brunson navigate Atlanta’s schemes to hunt him on defense.
Stephon Marbury Predicts CJ McCollum Will Keep Attacking Jalen Brunson
The Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 14-point deficit to stun the New York Knicks with some decisive strategies. One particular play that the Hawks repeatedly went to was to allow CJ McCollum to test Jalen Brunson on defense.
Stephon Marbury warns his former team to make adjustments as the series heads to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4:
“(Hawks are) gonna run the same play. They’re gonna do it old-school and make us adjust.”
As most teams do, the Hawks are likely to run and repeat the same plays that caused major damage against the Knicks. Atlanta could milk these plays until New York can figure out an efficient counter. Marbury expects better effort from Brunson on defense and better rotation from the Knicks to help their All-Star guard.
Game 3 on Thursday will prove if Marbury’s analysis and prediction were right.
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