After dominating the Pacers at MSG in Game 5, Jalen Brunson made his mindset clear for tonight’s clash in Indiana, “Just focused on one thing at a time. One quarter and then we go from there. Focus on the first quarter.” So, everyone expected the Knicks to come out with a sense of desperation, fighting to save their season by any means necessary. And they did, at least for the first half. But once again, Pacers’ fast paced offense proved too much to handle for them, and Brunson’s squad eventually got blown out by 17 points.

Immediately after their season ending loss, Lakers legend Magic Johnson put the blame on the two Knicks’ superstars. “The New York Knicks lost Game 6 because their two superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t play well. They also didn’t control the pace of game.” He tweeted, calling out Brunson and KAT for their disappointing performance.

Like it or not, what Magic said was the harsh reality. In the first half, both Brunson and Towns looked in decent form, combining for eighteen points. As a result, the New York team kept the game close, trailing by only four points at the half. Unfortunately, the two stars were unable to carry that momentum into the second period. Despite being the Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen scored only nine second half points, finishing with just 19 points and seven assists. His lowest scoring game of the East Finals.

Meanwhile, KAT did not do much better, finishing with a 22-point double-double. While his offensive production was decent, Towns was a non-factor on defense, getting zero blocks. It allowed the Pacers to score 125 points. With their two superstars struggling, the Knicks had no shot at beating the Pacers on their home court. Thus, bringing their historic season to a brutal end. And maybe, Magic wanted to pointed out these glaring concerns because they ruined his NBA Finals prediction.

Magic Johnson’s NBA Finals prediction bites the dust after Pacers beat Knicks in Game 6

When this season began, not many projected the Pacers to be the Eastern Conference Champions. After all, they had not done it for the past 25 years, and they had a young and inexperienced squad. In fact, Magic was so confident about them not making it to the NBA Finals, that he dropped a bold prediction way before the series began, “I have the New York Knicks beating the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves beating the Oklahoma City Thunder to advance to the NBA Finals!”

Well, his tweet did not age well. On Wednesday, half his prediction failed as OKC sent Anthony Edwards and Co. packing in five games. And tonight, the Hall of Famer’s prediction took another hit as the Pacers dominated the Knicks, putting an end to their season. Only a couple of weeks ago, Magic praised Brunson and the Knicks’ defense after they blew out the Celtics in the East Semis, “Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson finished with 23 points… The Knicks defense smothered the Celtics tonight in their victory.”

Tonight, the same strengths turned into weaknesses for the New York franchise. Just shows how quickly tables can turn in the playoffs. Do you also blame Brunson and Towns for the Knicks’ Game 6 loss?