Having laid waste to the Sixers Sunday afternoon, New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson exited the Wells Fargo Center wearing a black sweatsuit
(accessorized by black low-top Chucks). Emblazoned on the back of his jacket was this: “It Will Always Be New York or Nowhere.”
For now that’s true in his case, anyway. Used to be true of Philly (or thereabouts), though his 47-point masterpiece pretty much ensures that Villanova will not be regarded by some as a city school for the foreseeable future.
Glad we got that cleared up.
Since winning a pair of NCAA titles with the Wildcats, Brunson has gone from second-round draft pick to second fiddle to second to none (or pretty near, anyway). And if that seems an unlikely trip, consider the manner in which Brunson moves from Point A to Point B on the court. In a game of jets he is a comparative plodder, seemingly moving at half-speed while at the same time finding ways to get to his spots, to find daylight, to rise and fire.
His is a game marked by feints and fades, counters and crossovers, leans and spins. He burrows out of more trouble than Andy Dufresne, plays more angles than Willie Mosconi, creates space as deftly as a chaperone at a middle-school dance.
“He’s pretty unique,” teammate OG Anunoby said. “I don’t know anyone like him.”
Never was that clearer than Sunday, when Brunson, aided in no small part by the Knicks’ willing cast of grinders, beat the Sixers 97-92 to seize a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Brunson’s point total eclipsed by one the previous Knicks single-game postseason record, established in 1984 by no less a player than Bernard King.
“That’s pretty cool, but unless he comes back and helps us win the series …,” Brunson said with a laugh.
He let that sink in with the reporters seated before him in the interview room.
“I promise you,” he said, “I’ll think about it later.”
If Brunson stood alone Sunday, he has been forced to stand alone in another sense since late January, when Julius Randle, New York’s other top scoring threat, was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. The Knicks embraced their down-and-dirty identity to an even greater degree than they already had – they’re like the teams featuring Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley, only shorter – but shot creation was (and is) an issue. Anunoby can do it to some degree, but the offense revolves around Brunson like never before.
That has led to some ugly moments, as in the first two games of this series, when Brunson missed 39 of 55 shots. That the Knicks won both anyway is a tribute to their tenacity (not to mention some favorable whistles at the end of Game 2, as the NBA itself admitted).
But New York figured some things out at the offensive end, forcing switches that freed Brunson from Kelly Oubre Jr. and enabled him to attack weaker defenders, like Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey. They also managed to take advantage of Joel Embiid’s drop coverage on pick-and-rolls, which has left Brunson with enough daylight to either attack or fire from the elbows.
“I’m exploring a lot,” he said. “I see a lot and just read what happens, what (Embiid) does, and figure something out.”
Brunson generated 39 points in the Knicks’ Game 3 loss, then shot 18-for-34 Sunday. He also doled out 10 assists.
“Thirty-four shots,” Oubre said. “I mean yeah, he’s a great player – great, great player. I love playing against him. I love his game. He has a lot of fundamentals and skillset to his game, but anybody who shoots 34 shots that has skill and that’s a great player, they’re going to be able to do well.”
As the Knicks were whittling away at a 10-point third-quarter deficit, Brunson converted a three-point play (on an up fake, followed by a left-elbow jumper) and a tough-angle banker, both against Harris. Then, with 5.1 seconds left in the period he fashioned another three-point play, this one against De’Anthony Melton (on a contact-inducing leaner), to give New York its first second-half lead, at 77-76.
That was part of a 15-point quarter for Brunson. He rang up nine more in the fourth, despite sitting out the first 2:25 of the period after bumping knees with Kyle Lowry. None of his points were bigger than the two that came on his off-balance jumper over Embiid with 9:01 left, which pushed the visitors’ advantage to 84-81.
But that quarter was really about the Knicks’ lunchpail guys – about them eroding the Sixers’ will with their relentlessness.
Josh Hart, Brunson’s fellow Villanovan, was amid the best 0-for-7 shooting game imaginable. He claimed six of his 17 rebounds in the fourth, and blocked Nicolas Batum’s dunk attempt with 9:35 left and the Knicks up one. Anunoby, who contributed 16 points and 14 boards, defended Embiid down the stretch. That’s because one center, Mitchell Robinson, was unavailable because of an ankle injury and the other, Isaiah Hartenstein, was shackled with foul trouble.
In all the Knicks outscored the home team 20-16 in the final quarter, 11-2 on second-chance points. (The gap in that department was 21-8 in the game, and stands at 77-40 for the series.) Embiid managed a single point in the period, and the Sixers did not have a field goal the last 5:04. Their fate was all but sealed when with a little over a minute left and New York up 93-89, Oubre and Harris misfired on 3-point attempts. Then, at the other end, a defensive mix-up allowed Brunson to waltz to the rim for a layup.
Now the spread was six, and the many Knicks fans in attendance would soon head out into the sunshine, chanting slogans either in support of their team or suggesting that Embiid be on the receiving end of a carnal act.
No doubt they were singing Brunson’s praises as well. He earned the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard his final year at ‘Nova (2017-18), when he was also the Big East Player of the Year while leading the ‘Cats to a national title. But in the subsequent draft – the same one that saw the Sixers select Brunson’s teammate, Mikal Bridges, 10th overall and flip him for Zhaire Smith – Brunson somehow lasted until the 33rd pick, when Dallas snapped him up.
For four seasons he served as Luka Doncic’s sidekick, before New York signed him to a four-year, $104 million contract in the summer of 2022. This year he was an All-Star for the first time. Doesn’t figure to be the last.
Long story short, his journey has been slow but steady. But that’s nothing new for him. He always gets where he has to go, always shows up when he’s most needed. No need to rush. None at all.