The Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night, earning a spot in the NBA Finals by way of the 125-108 victory. It was a tough defeat for the Knicks, who suffered numerous self-inflicted wounds that the Pacers gladly took full advantage of. But if you ask Magic Johnson, there are only two players to blame for New York's failure.
Recapping the game via his social media accounts as has been his habit, Johnson spelled it out bluntly: the Knicks lost because of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
"The New York Knicks lost Game 6 because their two superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns didn’t play well," Johnson wrote on his X account. "They also didn’t control the pace of game."
It's tough to deny the frank observation. Brunson managed only 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting, and Towns wasn't much better in putting up 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting. Both players were not locked in defensively and Brunson ended up head-butting Andrew Nembhard out of frustration.
Sometimes those nights will happen in sports. Unfortunately for the Knicks, Brunson and KAT both had one of those nights at the worst possible time. Now they have all offseason to think about it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Magic Johnson Bluntly Blames Two Players for Knicks' Season-Ending Loss.