Jalen Brunson played through pain during the final two rounds of the Knicks run to their first championship in 53 years.
During an appearance on ESPN Radio on Wednesday, the Knicks captain revealed he began feeling discomfort in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cavaliers.
“There wasn’t a play I remember it happening,” Brunson said. “I just remember being at the free-throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. My wrist was starting to feel weak. I was like, ‘Where is this coming from?’ From that point on, I was trying to figure out what was going on, and how I can push through, because I wasn’t going to get anything done during that time.”
Brunson recently underwent surgery to repair a tendon issue in his left hand and wrist, The Post reported July 7. The timeline then was six to eight weeks.
“I’m good,” Brunson said. “It’s obviously going to take a little bit of time.”
The injury didn’t hamper Brunson’s performance. He averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists and shot 38.9 percent from 3-point range in the Finals, highlighted by his 45-point masterpiece in the clincher. In the final two games against the Cavaliers, Brunson averaged 22.5 points and 5.5 assists.
It has been more than a month since the Knicks ended their title drought. Brunson called it a “roller coaster,” from the championship parade to a number of public appearances.
“Obviously, once we won and everything, everything was up and high and everything was amazing, the parade and all of that,” he said. “Everything after we won was amazing. Then kind of getting back into real life and realizing it was probably best to get surgery done for my wrist. That kind of brought me back down. But I would do it all again.
“It’s an incredible feeling, and something that doing it here has made it 10 times better. The experience has been better, just being in the city. It’s been amazing, to say the least.”
