Jalen Brunson Finds Silver Lining in Knicks' opening loss to 76ers

The New York Knicks fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in the season opener, 106-100, in a game that felt like it went back and forth. Philadelphia gained momentum through the course of the game, and their talented roster gave them a big lift in the fourth quarter. 

After the game, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson spoke about the loss and what kind of implications it has for the rest of the season. Brunson knows there are things that New York has to clean up, but he believes his squad can learn from this experience. 

"I think it's good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain, humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what's going to happen," Brunson said. 

This matchup between the Knicks and 76ers had a lot of attention leading up to the season because of the fact that the Knicks were at the top of the mountain. Teams in the Eastern Conference made major roster moves, like the Philadelphia 76ers, because the goal is to eventually dethrone the Knicks as conference champions. 

Many believe that the 76ers have one of, if not the best, starting fives in the NBA, and the additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James put them over the top of the Knicks in the East. 

Jalen Brunson's postgame comments almost indicate that he doesn't want this team to have any kind of hangover from their championship run. Center Karl-Anthony Towns talked about the hunger this team has after seeing all the moves that have been made by their rivals, and Brunson also mentioned he's excited for the challenge in the offseason. 

With all the outside noise about the potential fall-off from the Knicks and their contract extension negotiations, it will be interesting to see how this team can battle back from adversity. New York is a team that has a lot going for them, as they brought back many of the same players who helped them win the championship last season. 

The Knicks will travel to Boston to play the Celtics in their next game, and this could also be a measuring test for them as well. Boston brought in veteran forward Paul George, who had 39 in his debut with the franchise. 

If the Knicks can beat the Celtics on the road in convincing fashion, they could quiet a lot of the outside noise and get back that level of confidence they've had through much of the offseason.