No, Jalen Brunson was not waving goodbye to Celtics fans at the end of Game 5.
After fouling out in the fourth quarter of Boston’s victory, Brunson was shown on the big screen and gave the crowd a wave.
It was not his way of saying the Knicks wouldn’t be back for a potential Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
“You might assume that’s the case, but it wasn’t. People speculated, ‘Oh, Jalen is waving because he knew he wasn’t returning,’ ” Brunson explained on Tuesday during his podcast “The Roommates Show” with Josh Hart. “No, I had just fouled out in a playoff game, and we were down by 20 or so. I saw myself on the screen and decided to find a silver lining in a very negative situation. I merely gave a quick wave upon seeing myself. I didn’t think much of it, yet it was all over the place when I got off the court after the match.
“Luckily, it didn’t look bad over time. … It’s important to maintain composure. Avoid being too low or too high. There was no premeditation like, ‘I’ll do this if I’m on camera.’ It just happened. So be it.”
During his podcast with Brunson, Hart had some fun with the Nets.
The two discussed the recently concluded Subway Series, during which Hart mentioned his belief that two teams dominate the city in baseball and basketball, namely the Yankees and Knicks.
Brunson told Hart that there are two teams in basketball within the five boroughs.
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Hart feigned ignorance.
“What?” Hart said jokingly. “The New Jersey Nets?”
He laughed and added: “I was going to say something crazy.”
Brunson chimed in: “Just stop.”
Karl-Anthony Towns attended Sunday night’s Yankees victory over the Mets in The Bronx, and received a huge ovation from the sellout crowd.
“It was special. Grew up a Yankees fan, die-hard Yankees fan, to be respected by New York that way, it means everything,” he said. “Respect is everything to me. It just makes you want to work harder.”
The only player listed on the injury report for either team was Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson, who has been out since November with a torn Achilles tendon.
The Knicks will host a watch party at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tickets are $10 each, with proceeds benefiting the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
