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Jalen Brunson lifted the depleted New York Knicks to victory in Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers . In case you needed a news flash: the Knicks are without their All-Star power forward, two starters, and a key rotational player. Yet, No. 11 continues to reach down to the final straw to make ends meet for his team. With another stunning performance last night, Jalen Brunson inched closer to the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer in a postseason feat. If New York can muddle through and reach the next round, it’ll go down as quite a moment for the franchise’s superstar point guard.
Many doubted the New York Knicks’ decision to go all-out for Jalen Brunson 2 summers ago. He was said to be an overpay and not the piece the Knicks needed to become championship contenders. After leading New York to consecutive playoff appearances and more series wins than the franchise had won in the many previous years combined, Brunson has expunged the criticism. Brunson’s 43 points in Game 1 against Indiana was his 4th straight 40-point playoff game, the most since Michael Jordan 31 years ago.
Here is Brunson postgame:
“I don’t really worry about it,” Brunson said after Game 1. “I understand what’s going on. It’s obviously very cool. It makes it better to know that it came off a win, most importantly. But no matter what the situation is — positive or negative — I have to always come back better.”