Knicks’ Jalen Brunson calls criticism of Luka Doncic unfair: ‘They want you to be perfect’

After the Dallas Mavericks dropped a virtual must-win Game 3 against the Boston Celtics to go down 3-0 in the NBA Finals, criticism of superstar guard Luka Doncic came from all directions, even from himself.

The MVP finalist fouled out with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter, presenting a major obstacle to the Mavericks near comeback from down 21 that they ultimately couldn’t hurdle. He complained both to the referees and about the referees later, which posed questions about his maturity and ability to lead a team to a championship.

However, Knicks star and former Maverick Jalen Brunson defended Doncic in an interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks.

“I would say, yes, I think it’s unfair,” he said of the criticism, and brought up Doncic’s injury. “A lot goes on in a season, in a series that a lot of people don’t see.”

“People want players to be perfect. They want you to be perfect. They want you to average 40. They want you to win finals MVP. They have so many narratives for you,” he said.

Though Brunson didn’t comment on specific calls against Doncic or his subsequent complaints, Brunson noted inconsistency in refereeing and defended having an emotional reaction to that

“There’s certain times where calls are made in the same situations where calls are not made. All fouls can be subjective for a referee,” Brunson said. “Like yeah, obviously you don’t want to complain, but it’s a tough situation to be in. It’s emotional. It’s an emotional game. And everyone’s expecting, ‘Hey, you’re a grown man, you need to act like one.’ No, this is an emotional thing. This is what everyone in this league has worked for, an opportunity like that, and sometimes emotions get the best of you.”

Brunson also compared the criticism Doncic has received to another MVP-caliber superstar in the series, Jayson Tatum.

“There are so many narratives for [Tatum]. ‘He has this great team around him, but he’s not doing this, he’s not doing that.’ Well, he’s helping his team win. They’re one away,” he said. “I understand people have jobs to do and things to say, but a lot of players, at least me, don’t care about how we do. It’s just, do we win?”

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