On the long list of most hated athletes in Detroit, is Jalen Brunson flying -- or flopping -- to the top?
"I think it’s a prisoner-of-the-moment take that might be correct," says Karsch.
Brunson has scored 34 and 37 points in the first two games of the Pistons-Knicks playoff series, while shooting 12-for-27 in both games. He has inflated his numbers by baiting the Pistons and sometimes the officials into sending him to the free-throw line a combined 21 times.
As Karsch puts it, Ausar Thompson fouled out in the Pistons' Game 2 victory "to a veteran foul-hunter, a veteran foul-miner, a veteran at fishing for fouls, a Hall of Fame foul seeker."
Gator says he has no problem with "drawing contact if you’re going to be a physical player. Those are the kind of scorers you like, guys that drive the lane, get hit and still get the shot off, but they’re looking to score first. Jalen Brunson looks to get fouled first, and then throw up the shot so he gets two free throws. That’s the difference."
In the words of one Ticket texter, "If Brunson falls over in a forest, which Piston gets called for a foul?"
After Brunson lured Thompson into fouling out by getting him on his feet and then leaning into him while chucking up a shot, he immediately held up six fingers to signal Thompson's dismissal. After he pulled a similar move on Tobias Harris, he held up three fingers for the number of free throws coming.
"The stuff that really pissed me off," says Gator, "is where he’s not only pretending he got fouled but taking it to the floor: I’m not even going to try and launch a shot, I’m going right to the floor because I need to get this call."
"If you name anyone in sports, says Karsch, "does Detroit hate Brunson more than that person? He is the prime example of the NBA unethical scorer. The sixth foul on Ausar, holding up three fingers when he leaned into Tobias, all that stuff."
"You’re the worst," says Gator. "Honestly, you are just the worst. Seriously, that’s what you’re doing? Can you imagine playing pickup basketball with that guy? I’d just leave. Like, this isn’t worth my time. What are we doing?"
What most bothers Karsch is that Brunson "doesn’t have to play like that" because he's skilled enough to score without trying to get to the line, "but it's like he'd rather get fouled."
"He’s talented, without question. When he gets into the lane and the ball leaves his hands, it’s going in 100 percent of the time. He’s an amazing drive-and-shoot guy -- do that! Because what you are choosing to do, I personally find it humiliating," says Karsch.
"He’s a knob," says Gator. "Doesn’t have to do it."