Madison Square Garden may have gone quiet, but the fire isn’t out just yet. After two brutal losses that left fans pacing and pundits piling on, the Knicks are staring down a must-win Game 3 in Indiana. The vibes? Bleak. The pressure? Suffocating. But just when it seemed like the wheels were coming off—after Game 2 saw their star limping off the court—New York might finally have a reason to breathe again.

After what looked like a possibly catastrophic ankle tweak in Game 2, Jalen Brunson has officially been cleared for takeoff ahead of Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks dropped both games at MSG, so naturally, the mood in New York was gloomier than Spike Lee’s courtside scowl. But the one glimmer of hope? JB is good to go. The team’s injury report came back squeaky clean.

Yes, the same Brunson who was seen hobbling like he had a secret bet against his own ankles will be back in the saddle Sunday night in Indiana.

This Knicks team, for all its faults, isn’t limping into Indiana. Sure, they’ve lost two straight games in this series—the first after an all-time collapse where they blew a nine-point lead in the last 60 seconds. Then came Game 2, where they slowed things down, made it a little ugly… and still got beaten 114-109 by a Pacers team that wins about as often in low-scoring games as Ben Simmons attempts a three-pointer.

Pascal Siakam, who clearly thought this was Game 7 of the Finals, went off for 39 points on 63% shooting. The Knicks’ defense? Let’s just say it had more holes than Carmelo Anthony’s shot selection during the triangle offense days.

And yet, in the middle of all this chaos stood Jalen Brunson. Limping. Still dropping 36 points and 11 dimes like he’s playing in a rec league with a rolled ankle and a grudge.

Jalen Brunson: Built Different

Let’s talk about this man for a second.

Brunson isn’t just a bucket—he’s a legacy writer. He’s etching his name into the same granite tablet that has housed Knicks greats like Clyde Frazier, Patrick Ewing, and… yeah, we’ll stop there because the list thins out faster than Knicks rosters post-All-Star break.

He’s also doing this while coming off an ankle injury that cost him a month of the regular season. Most guys wouldn’t even lace up if their ankle whispered “no,” but Brunson’s out here sprinting on it like it’s game night at Rucker Park.

And his leadership? When asked after the Game 2 loss about what went wrong, he didn’t blame the refs, his teammates, or the ghost of Reggie Miller past. He said, “Collectively, we have to get it together.”

The Knicks haven’t been to the conference finals in 25 years. That’s three failed reboots of the “Fantastic Four” ago. And yet, here they are. Down 0–2. Headed into a hostile Indiana crowd. But with Jalen Brunson still breathing fire and soaking his ankle in whatever ancient potion Willis Reed left behind, hope is not lost.

He’s healthy. The roster is intact. And there’s still time for a comeback.

Because if anyone can flip the script and give the Knicks a puncher’s chance, it’s the guy who plays like a Villanova grad possessed by the spirit of John Starks—with a jumper smoother than a young Ray Allen and the grit of a Tony Allen full-court press.

Let’s just hope Game 3 doesn’t feature another late-game implosion. The Knicks have had enough heartbreaks to fill an entire Spike Lee monologue. But with Brunson ready, maybe—just maybe—they’ve got one miracle left in the tank.