It took all of one game for Jalen Brunson’s act to wear thin on one opponent.
Speaking with reporters Monday, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro was asked what his team can do to better defend the New York Knicks guard Brunson in their playoff series. Okoro replied by taking a swipe at Brunson’s “antics” and essentially calling him out for flopping.
“Nodding your head back, falling on the ground when not a lot of physicality is used on you,” said Okoro of Brunson’s behavior, per SportsNet New York. “It’s little things to help him get fouls and get to the free throw line.”
Okoro also said that he “talk[s] to the refs, kinda letting them know some of the antics [Brunson] might do.”
The veteran guard Brunson led the Knicks with 27 points in their Game 1 win over the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Saturday. Despite only shooting four total free throws in the contest, Brunson drew a number of personal fouls on Cavs defenders and has more than doubled his free throw attempts a game over last season.
After ceding homecourt advantage to the Knicks with the loss, Cleveland will have to try something different on Brunson and his teammates starting in Game 2 on Tuesday. They probably weren’t too thrilled about some of the Brunson-themed antics that the Knicks had after the game either.
