Knicks fans desperately beg Thibodeau to protect Brunson during Pacers clash

NEW York Knicks fans begged head coach Tom Thibodeau to sub off Jalen Brunson as his team fell more than 30 points down in Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers.

The Connecticut native, 66, is known for playing extremely tight rotations come the NBA playoffs.

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Thibodeau’s unwillingness to rest starters has been perfectly exemplified by the fact Josh Hart didn’t leave the court in the Eastern Conference Semifinals until Friday’s 111-106 loss in Game 3.

But Brunson, 27, got hurt earlier in the second-round series.

The 6-foot-2 guard grappled with foot soreness in Game 2, which caused him to miss the entire second quarter of the matchup.

He was then listed as questionable for the next clash before eventually being made available and logging 16 points in 38 minutes as the Pacers reduced their series lead to 2-1 on Friday.

The All-Star guard was off the injury report for Game 4.

But Indiana blew out New York on Sunday, surging to a nearly 40-point lead in the later parts of the third quarter.

It seemed like Thibodeau had the chance to give Brunson some early rest before the series returned to Madison Square Garden in Tuesday’s Game 5.

But the Knicks playmaker was still on the court with the Pacers being up 37 points, causing the team’s fans to rage on social media.

“Tom Thibodeau sit your starters down 35 challenge (impossible),” one wrote.

“Tom Thibodeau leaving Jalen Brunson in down 37 for a series that will be decided mostly by fatigue/depth,” another added.

“I would walk into a fire for Tom Thibodeau. But what he is doing right now is borderline criminal,” a third said.

“Why Tom Thibodeau doing this to Brunson, he obviously needs to rest,” one wrote.

Brunson finally left the game with 2:32 left in the third quarter and never came back.

He finished the game with 18 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 31 minutes on the floor.

Indiana ended up taking a 121-89 win to tie the series at 2-2.

The Knicks are severely banged up as the Eastern Conference Semifinals go on.

They already entered the postseason without forward Julius Randle, who has been sidelined since January and had a season-ending shoulder injury in April.

Then, New York lost sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic and center Mitchell Robinson for the remainder of the campaign.

Also, defensive anchor OG Anunoby suffered a hamstring strain in Game 2 against the Pacers.

The forward missed the next two contests and his availability for Game 5 is uncertain.