INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson made his sentiment crystal clear.
After falling in the Eastern Conference finals, how confident is he that this core has enough to take the next step into the NBA Finals and win a championship?
“The most confidence,” Brunson said after the Knicks’ 125-108 Game 6, season-ending loss to the Pacers on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “Overconfident. Seriously, there’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident with this group.”
The Knicks made three major moves last offseason to build a championship contender.
They sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns.
They parted with five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Nets.
They brought back OG Anunoby on the biggest contract in franchise history.
Those moves, this time around, were not enough.
“You make moves to win,” Towns said. “It hurts to not bring an opportunity to the city for a championship. We got a bunch of great guys in that locker room and we hope to put ourselves in this position again.”
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The Knicks, to a man, were adamant they wanted to bring back the same core next year.
But they also know that there is often inevitable reality when a group falls short of its goals.
“You’re always going to hear me say, ‘Run it back,’ ” Josh Hart said. “I think you heard me say the same thing last year with the guys we had. I’d like to do it. I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step.
“But it’s a business. And when you don’t get to where you feel like you could’ve or should’ve, changes are made. This is my eighth year. This is my fourth organization. I’ve had six or seven coaches. It’s tough, we’re going to have to see. Don’t think you can ever be too comfortable.”
Brunson’s reasons to believe in this group lie behind the scenes.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in this group,” Brunson said. “No one sees the things that me and [KAT] see every day. No one sees the type of people that we have, the workers that we have. That’s what gives me the confidence, and I’m OK with that. I don’t care what people think about us on the outside. I know what we’ve got.”
