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“Knicks Fans Are Nuts”: Draymond Green Forces Harsh Jalen Brunson Reality on New York

Published 05/04/2024, 11:53 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

After eliminating Joel Embiid’s squad, the New York Knicks are eyeing the upcoming championship title, after advancing to the Conference Semis with a 4-2 lead against the 76ers. One of the most promising elements in the Knicks’ victory was the support of their fans throughout the playoffs. With a strong fan base, Knicks are top-tier when it comes to religious following among all sports. The Knicks can be good, bad, mediocre, or terrible, but if any NBA team plays against the Knicks, especially in Madison Square Garden, the fans will rip you apart if you say anything against the New York side. They literally live and breathe basketball. And to some, it is an irksome trait. One such person is Draymond Green.

In his latest episode of the Draymond Green Show on YouTube, the Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green targets the Knicks fanbase and makes quite strong remarks on their ambition and, of course, their star, Jalen Brunson. In his reality check to the fans first, he says, “I think a lot of the Knicks fans are delusional. …Knicks fans are nuts!”

But why would he say this, you ask? Well, he backs it up with the following statements: “A ball-dominant Jalen Brunson ain’t going to get you to the promised land.” It is kind of true because Brunson has performed exceptionally well in the playoffs, scoring 41 points, 3 rebounds, and 12 assists in the last game against the 76ers. Even Warriors forward Draymond mentioned how Jalen “earned his respect“.

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But then he dropped a bomb on the fanbase. He says the Knicks wouldn’t win the Championship title, but he does predict that they “should easily win the second round series[of playoffs].

Despite such bold claims from Draymond Green, the New York Knicks have been experiencing a magical playoff ride. Amid the pool of injuries, including veteran forward Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and shooter Bojan Bogdanovic, The Knicks survived the rough times and blasted off the scene with Jalen Brunson’s ‘unstoppable’ performance.

Can the New York Knicks prove Draymond Green’s claim wrong?

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Considering the present scenario of the New York Knicks in the playoffs, they might go on to win the title and prove Draymond Green’s claim wrong. It is not the first time when Green has made a prediction, and the Knicks completely violated it with their performance. One such incident is a pre-playoff remark from a GSW forward, where he claimed that Joel Embiid would be unstoppable and the 76ers would clinch away the first round of the series from the Knicks. But everyone knows what happened afterward as the Brunson and Co. dived in against the Sixers.

USA Today via Reuters

After the Sixers, the Knicks have got to face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Like the second-seeded Knicks, the Pacers are also coming with a scoreline of 4-2 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of playoffs. The confidence will be high for the Pacers players as the team has entered the semis for the first time in the last 10 years. Moreover, they are leading the contest against the Knicks as they emerged victorious in two out of three games during the regular season.

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But it can’t be ignored how the Knicks have evolved over the playoffs, especially Jalen Brunson. He rose to the occasion when the team needed him the most and fulfilled the scoreboard responsibility. So, even if they haven’t won a championship since Clinton was in office, could they win this time around? Call them delusional, call them committed, the Knicks’ fans wouldn’t change their opinion.

The offensive fronts from the Eastern Conference will face each other on May 6 on the court. It will be worth watching which team will penetrate through the other team’s play and take control of the game first.

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Written by:

Krishna Shukla

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Krishna Shukla is an NBA Writer at Essentially Sports. After working extensively across different divisions at ES, his love for Kobe enticed him into the world of basketball. He specializes in reconstructing basketball podcasts in his writing, along with writing injury reports.
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Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja