Behind a Brilliant Brunson, Knicks Win Game 5 To Keep Their Season Alive

Only one Knick had ever scored more than 35 points, grabbed more than six rebounds and dished out more than six assists in a playoff game - Walt "Clyde" Frazier in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals… 

Until last night. 

In a performance for the ages that will go down in franchise lore, Jalen Brunson put his team on his back Wednesday night at MSG, racking up  38 points (12-of-22 FGs and 10-of-12 FTs), nine boards, seven dimes (vs. just one turnover) and four three-pointers to keep the Knicks remarkable 2022-23 season alive. 

The Knicks couldn't afford Brunson to rest for even a second all evening. So he didn't. He played all 48 minutes. 

"What can you say about the guy?" coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters following the Knicks 112-1030 victory. "He's an incredible, all-around player, great leader, great toughness, mental toughness, physical toughness, the ability to think on his feet, ability to lead, ability to connect with people to bring the best out of people. That's what makes him special. It's play after play."

As for Brunson, he stated simply: "I was just trying to do everything to win. We did that, and now it's on to Game 6."

For a while there, it didn't seem like forcing a Game 6 was possible. 

In Tuesday's newsletter, I talked about how important it would be for the Knicks to get off to a strong start to wash away the bad taste in their mouths after the disastrous weekend in Miami. However, New York inexplicably came out flat. Julius Randle was up to his old tricks, and the team looked dead in the water. 

The Knicks scored just 14 points over the first 12 minutes (the fewest points scored by any team in any quarter this entire series) and trailed by double digits entering the second.

That's when the game turned around. Quentin Grimes, who, like Brunson, would go to play all 48, drilled a three-pointer on New York's first possessions of the second stanza. On the Knicks' next trip down the floor, Brunson threw an alley-oop to a streaking Obi Toppin, invigorating the Garden crowd.  

Toppin deserves plenty of praise, as his energy and enthusiasm provided a desperately required lift. It was as if Obi was the tall cup of highly-caffeinated coffee the Knicks needed on a Monday morning after a long weekend. He corralled five rebounds in his eight minutes of action.

Over the next few possessions, New York got some stops as RJ Barrett hit a three-ball, Brunson sank a floater, and RJ made a layup. And the score was tied at 26-26.

Once Randle checked back in, he did a better job attacking the tin and earned six free throws, making four. Julius also nailed a step-back triple at the halftime buzzer to give the Knicks a three-point lead at the break. 

New York would jump out to a massive 19-point lead in the third thanks to some outrageous shot-making from Brunson, Barrett and Randle (those three players scored all 34 of NY's points in 3Q). However, the Heat slowly but surely began chipping away. 

Miami cut the deficit down to single digits two minutes into the fourth quarter, and it became clear this would be a nail-biter. The Heat decided to go to a Hack-A-Mitch at the five-minute mark, but Robinson stymied their plans by making three of four, and Brunson hit a 14-foot pull-up to give NY a six-point cushion. 

Still, Miami got as close as two points with two minutes remaining in regulation before an Isaiah Hartenstein put-back dunk put New York up four. 

With 90 seconds left, Miami had the ball, and Jimmy Butler went to work against Grimes. Butler ran the exhausted Grimes into an (audaciously illegal) Bam Adebayo screen, sending Quentin tumbling to the floor and clutching his knee in pain. But Grimes limped to his feet and crouched in a defensive stance. Butler tried to blow past his compromised defender, but Grimes stealthily stole the ball away, sending the Garden crowd into hysterics. 

RJ Barrett would step up to the charity stripe twice in the final two minutes to take the four biggest free throws of his career. He nailed all four, sealing the victory. 

See y'all in South Beach.

The pressure now shifts back to Miami, who certainly don't want to return to MSG for a do-or-die Game 7. 

About Last Night: 

🏀 After Wednesday's shootaround, Brunson was asked about the pressure of that evening's close-out contest. His response: "We've worked all offseason. Players work their entire lives to get to moments like these." Shortly thereafter, I tweeted, "The Knicks have a chance to pull off a miraculous three-game winning streak b/c they have Jalen Brunson at PG." And my god, did he deliver in Game 5. Here are a few notable numbers:

• Brunson is just the fourth player in NBA history to tally 38/9/7/4 with less than two turnovers in a playoff game.

• Brunson (who shot 54.5% from the field) is the first Knick to score 38+ points on better than 54% shooting in a playoff game since Patrick Ewing in 1990.

• Brunson is just the fourth Knick in franchise history with three 30+ point games in a single playoff series. The other four are Bernard King, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony.

• Brunson has scored 265 points through his first ten playoff games as a Knick. The only two Knicks players with more points in their first ten playoff games with the franchise are King and Carmelo. 

• Brunson and Grimes are the first pair of Knicks teammates to both play all 48 minutes in regulation in a playoff game since Walt Frazier and Jerry Lucas in 1972.

🏀 Some more quotes from Thibs on Brunson's brilliance: "He knew that, and if he needed a blow, he would've told me. This time of the year, you're going to see guys get big minutes, and he conditions for them. The thing I love about him is you prepare yourself for that. I've never seen anyone work the way he does, and he does it in front of everyone; he does it in our gym, he does it all summer long, he does it at a game speed, he never has to adjust in a game because of the way he prepares himself, he conditions himself to play big minutes. Just a tremendous leader."

🏀 Barrett finished with 26 points (8-of-17 FG), seven rebounds, two assists and a block in Wednesday's win. He had some unforced turnovers late in the game, but as I noted above, his FTs and all-around contributions were enormous. Barrett was a game-high +17 in 38 minutes. Huge props to RJ for playing the best basketball of his season in May. 

🏀 In the two games they've won in this series, the Knicks are +32 in the rebound battle. In the two games they lost in Miami in this series, the Knicks were –11 in the rebound battle. The Knicks averaged 41.5 contested shots per game in the two games played down in Miami. The Knicks contested 52 shots last night. Effort. 

🏀 Per NY Post reporter Peter Botte, Mitchell Robinson walked into the locker room, still in uniform, and yelled, "Foul that!"

🏀 Josh Hart logged just nine minutes and was once again a non-factor. The Heat have neutralized Hart's impact by sagging off him and daring him to take long jumpers. Still, assuming Quickley remains sidelined on Friday, Hart must find ways to contribute. Thibs can't rely on Brunson and Grimes playing all 48 and being effective.

🏀 Randle is an enigma, man. I have never covered a player quite like him before. Probably never will. On literally the first play of the game (mere hours after being named All-NBA Third Team), Randle is lollygagging around the court and beaten by the NOT fleet-footed Kevin Love for an easy uncontested lay-up out of a half-court set.  

A few minutes later, Randle is caught ball-watching and allows Love to grab an offensive rebound, leading to a Hart foul. 

It's befuddling that he continues to mope around at times, despite the importance of the moment. Fortunately, Randle did bounce back to make some shots in the second and third quarters, which seemed to increase his effort level on the defensive end. But there was a reason New York started their comeback when Randle went to the bench at the end of the first quarter. If New York is to win Game 6, let alone a Game 7, they need Randle to wake up and snap out of his funk. 

🏀 According to Ian Begley of SNY: "After the Game 4 loss on Monday, Knick players and coaches were in a heated verbal confrontation in the visitor's locker room… It involved airing frustrations after a loss that put their season on life support."

🏀 Game 6 tips off Friday night at 7:30 in Miami. Buckle up.