New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson was clear in his confidence in the core group's ability to bounce back from their 4-2 series defeat to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday.

The Knicks went down 125-108 to end their hopes of meeting the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals next week.

But instead of feeling sorry for himself, Brunson was quick to talk up his team when asked how confident he was about their future.

"The utmost confidence, overconfident, seriously. There's not an ounce of any type of doubt. I'm that confident with this group," he said, as quoted by ESPN.

"No one sees the type of people we have, the workers we have. That's what gives me the confidence, and I'm OK with that. I don't care what people think about us on the outside. I know what we've got."

The Knicks had gone into the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers as the favourites, but ultimately made too many mistakes in Game 6 to have had a chance of taking a road victory to level things, including 18 turnovers that led to 34 points.

"They obviously played well and played fast. The turnovers were tough for us," said New York wing Josh Hart, who struggled to contribute after moving to the bench midway through the series.

But despite a tough playoff series, the confidence of bouncing back from the disappointment was not limited to just Brunson.

Anthony Towns, for example, was effusive about what his team-mate brings to the team and can continue to do so.

"You watch Jalen from afar in the West, and then you see what he's done for the city," he said.

"It's even more crazy in person. I don't say it lightly: It's a blessing and an honor that I get to play with Jalen Brunson."

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— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 1, 2025