Jalen Brunson gives props to HC Tom Thibodeau's controversial methods for late game heroics in crucial 2-1 lead

A day after winning Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson came through in crunchtime for the New York Knicks to seal a hard-fought Game 3 win over the Detroit Pistons. Despite the fierce fightback spirit of the young Pistons team, Brunson outlasted the opposition with his pressure-packed baskets to put the Knicks up 2-1 in the series.

In the media availability following the Knicks' 118-116 victory, Fred Katz of The Athletic brought up how the two-time All-Star looked like he had an extra gear when everyone else "looked gassed." Brunson then credited his head coach Tom Thibodeau for helping develop his stamina:

"Just happy Thibs played me all those minutes in the regular season," Brunson said with a straight face. "Got me in shape for the playoffs."

Interestingly, Brunson's response drew laughter from the reporters in attendance, as well as his teammate Karl-Anthony Towns who was sitting right beside him. The Knicks guard, however, did not budge from his stoic expression. Right after delivering his response, he got up from his seat, prompting Towns to take his leave as well.

Clearly, Brunson was still locked in after the scintillating Game 3 win, in which he put up 30 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. His biggest baskets, of course, came when the Knicks needed him most.

Even as Detroit cut the lead to three with less than five minutes left, Brunson whipped out his midrange brilliance and his measured drives to keep the Pistons at bay. In the end, the Clutch Player of the Year allowed the Knicks to build a cushion large enough to hold off Detroit's attempt at their first home playoff win in 17 years.

Jalen Brunson's head coach opens up on Detroit crowd's hostile reaction: "To him, those are cheers"

As if holding off a tenacious young team weren't difficult enough, Brunson also had to put up with raucous jeering from the Detroit crowd at Little Caesars Arena. As a matter of fact, the chants of "F*** you Brunson" were audible enough to resonate on the live TNT broadcast.

Thibodeau, however, brushed off the chants by saying that Brunson viewed them differently:

"To Jalen, those are cheers," Thibodeau said in the post-game interview.

Brunson will have to brace himself for even more "cheers" as the Pistons, along with their home crowd, look to bounce back in Game 4.