"That was dirty as hell" - Jalen Brunson poking Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. in eye has NBA fans fuming

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson was called for a flagrant-1 foul during his contest on the Detroit Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. During the first quarter of Game 3 of their first-round series on Thursday, both teams were locked in on both ends.

Hardaway started the game with a significant contribution. The veteran shooter scored 12 points in the opening quarter on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc. During one of his attempts, however, he was fouled by Brunson from deep.

The Knicks star poked the eye of Hardaway as he tried to prevent another shot from the former Michigan player. Hardaway was on the floor with his hand on his eye.

Fans online saw how Brunson tried to defend the shooter and revealed their thoughts on what happened. Here are some of what the fans said.

"I mean let’s be real that was dirty as hell," a fan said.

"Yes the flagrant was deserved," another fan commented.

"Unethical hoops on both sides of the ball is nasty work," a fan said.

Others thought Brunson should've gotten more than a flagrant-1 foul.

"That should be a flagrant 2," a fan posted.

"That’s an ejection honestly," another fan said.

"That’s a flagrant 2 all day…. why does he get special treatment?" one fan said.

Aside from the flagrant foul, Jalen Brunson was also called for a defensive foul on Dennis Schroder near the end of the first period. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau had to sub him out of the game because of his foul trouble.

Pistons crowd lets Jalen Brunson hear it

The crowd at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena isn't giving Jalen Brunson the star treatment. At the start of the game, the venue was filled with boos from the fans each time Brunson had the ball.

The Pistons fans intensely booed him and celebrated every missed shot from the Knicks star. The boos changed into something extreme after he fouled Hardaway, however.

As the officials reviewed what happened between Brunson and Hardaway, the fans escalated their boos into an NSFW chant. The fans inside the arena chanted "F**k you, Brunson" while the referees discussed the foul.

In the first quarter, the Pistons focused on shutting down Brunson, preventing him from getting into his rhythm. He had five points on 40 percent shooting from the field.

In Game 2, Jalen Brunson was the focal point for New York. He had 37 points on 44.4% shooting. Despite his significant scoring, the Knicks couldn't secure the win, losing 100-94.