Jalen Brunson became the perfect villain the Knicks needed in Game 3

DETROIT — Jalen Brunson isn’t accustomed to being the villain. For his entire NBA career, he was the underdog, the second-round pick who exceeded expectations and squeezed the most out of his limited athleticism. But that’s definitely not Brunson in Detroit.

Here, he’s the bad guy, the subject of taunts and profanity. In a hostile Little Caesars Arena on Thursday, Brunson was booed incessantly and greeted with negative energy as loud as I’ve heard this season — yes, louder than anything at MSG for Games 1 and 2. The jacked-up Pistons crowd, eager for its most important playoff game in many years, chanted “F–k you, Brunson” at every opportunity.



They were nasty and Knicks fans can’t complain after giving the same treatment to Trae Young..