Brunson's Legendary Performance Powers NY to Crucial Game 4 Win

It's impossible to watch that game and doubt this man any longer.

Final Score: Knicks 97 - Sixers 92
Series Record: 3-1

This was a true "TEAM" win. OG was incredible. Josh Hart did Josh Hart things. Deuce. Precious. They all had HUGE moments. But let's not bury the lede. 

Since Jalen Brunson burst onto the scene in New York, he has generated plenty of interesting debates. The first was whether he could be a starting point guard in the NBA. Then, the focus shifted to whether or not JB had All-Star potential. 

After answering those previous questions affirmatively, this season came the "he's not a dude... not 1A... not MVP-caliber" chatter. 

Well, on Sunday afternoon, Jalen Brunson racked up 47 points and ten assists (vs. just one turnover) on the road in Philly to beat Joel Embiid and the Sixers to give NY a 3-1 series lead. 

When the final buzzer sounded, the "Is he a 1A dude?" argument was settled forever. Brunson had the last word.

It's impossible to watch that game and doubt this man any longer.

When the National Basketball Association was founded in 1946, it was initially called the Basketball Association of America. The New York Knickerbockers were among 11 teams in the league's inaugural 1946-47 season.

Over the 78-year history of the franchise, the Knicks have qualified for the postseason 41 times and played a total of 394 playoff games. 

Over the team's first 393 postseason contests, no Knickerbocker had ever scored more than 46 points. 

That changed when Brunson took the floor at the Wells Fargo Center Sunday afternoon and put on a show that none of us will ever forget. 

In what was both teams' most important game of the season thus far, Brunson flat-out took over. 

He scored on all three levels, facilitated the offense, put his teammates in a position to score, and took care of the basketball. 

His numbers look that much more impressive when compared to Embiid's, who was coming off a 50 Burger.  

Embiid started out hot on Sunday but wore down as the game dragged on, while Brunson got better and better (despite tweaking his knee at the end of the third). 

Here are the stats for each player over the final three quarters of Game 4:
Brunson:
35 points (13-of-25 FGs)
9 assists (vs. 1 turnover) 
4 rebounds
+20 plus/minus

Embiid:
17 points (2-of-9 FGs) 
2 assists (vs. 4 turnovers) 
4 rebounds 
-9 plus/minus

I've watched a whole lot of Knicks playoff games in my life, and I'm not sure I've seen a better performance than that one from Brunson. Patrick's masterpiece in Game 7 of the 1994 ECF vs. the Pacers comes to mind. I'm not sure where Brunson's gem ranks (we'll have plenty of time to discuss/debate that over the summer), but it's up there. 

The Knicks were missing their starting PF (Randle), their starting center (Mitch Rob) and their new starting center (iHart) got into foul trouble. Their leading scorer off the bench (Bogey) played 30 seconds before injuring his ankle. Yet, somehow, Brunson leads this group to a win on the road in a must-win game for Philly/Embiid.

However, comparing his performance just to other Knicks games doesn't do it justice. 

Per Basketball Reference, Brunson is the first player to score 45+ points (while shooting better than 50% from the floor) and dish out 10+ assists in a playoff road win since… Michael Jordan in May of 1990

Over the two games played in Philly, JB averaged 43.0 points and 11.5 assists while shooting 50.8% from the floor. He's the first player in NBA history to score more than 85 points and dish out more than 20 dimes over a two-game span in the playoffs.

The only other players to tally even 35+ points and ten assists in consecutive playoff games are Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Trae Young, Kevin Johnson, Dame Lillard, and Kobe Bryant.

The most important number, and the only one Brunson cares about, is the 3 W's the Knicks now have in the win column.

When asked about his thoughts after the game on breaking the Knicks' all-time, single-game playoff scoring record, Brunson replied: "I'll look back when I retire... It's not gonna do anything for us going forward."

This series isn't over. And NY's captain understands that.  (Like Derek Jeter, Brunson ALWAYS says the right thing.)

"I'm going to continue to say it—we've got to be better if we want to close it out and move on to the next round because this team is not going to quit fighting," Brunston stated.

And he's not wrong. Tuesday night at MSG is an important contest. New York needs to keep its foot on Philly's throat. Embiid is capable of dominating for 48 minutes. Maxey has been fantastic. You don't want to give that team life. If the Sixers find a way to win Tuesday, they can force a Game 7 with a victory at home two days later. 

The Knicks need to stay focused. 

3 down. 13 to go. 

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 I'm not sure how to quantify the best game ever in which a basketball player missed all the shots they attempted, but Josh Hart's Game 4 has to be up there. Hart was 0-of-7 from the floor but ripped down a game-high 17 rebounds and dished out five assists. Per BBall Ref, he is the first player in the last six decades with 15+ boards and 5+ dimes in a playoff game without making a field goal.

Over the last 50 years, only three Knicks have grabbed more than 50 rebounds over the first four games of a postseason: Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Josh Hart. 

That's damn good company. (And it's insane that Hart is doing this at 6'4") 

In addition to the 12.8 RPG, Hart is also averaging 4.0 assists and 3.0 made treys per game. No other player in league history has matched those numbers in each of those categories. The only players to average 10/4/3 over the first four games of the playoffs are Luka Doncic, Paul George and Jason Kidd. 

What a winning player.

🏀 Speaking of winning players, OG Anunoby is somehow living up to expectations during his first playoff run in New York. 

On Sunday, he played his best game of the series, racking up 16 points (8-of-16 FGs), 14 rebounds, and three blocked shots in 46 minutes. OG was also dominant defensively despite having to adjust his approach. 

Over the first three games in this series, Anunoby was primarily matched up (75.8 possessions) against Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers All-Star point guard.

In Game 4 (especially in the second half when iHart got into foul trouble), OG was primarily matched up (22.9 possessions) against Joel Embiid, the Sixers All-NBA center and the league's reigning MVP. 

When defended by OG in this series, Embiid is 3-of-13 from the floor (23.1%). 

OG is the most versatile/impactful defender in the NBA.

And arguably the best defensive player in New York since LT.

The Knicks are 23-3 in the 26 games Brunson and OG have played together. 

🏀 The Knicks also got an Incredible effort/performance from Precious Achiuwa in Game 4.

Precious played the entire fourth quarter and helped (along with OG) to hold Embiid scoreless (0-for-5 from the floor in the final frame).

Achiuwa also switched onto Maxey when needed and more than held his own. On Sunday, Maxey missed all four of his FG attempts when primarily defended by Precious. As a team, the Sixers shot 1-of-13 from the floor with Achiuwa as the primary defender in Game 4.

Precious was a game-high +11 in his 19 minutes off the bench. 

Give that man a game ball.

🏀 The Knicks need Donte DiVincenzo to get going again. 

He was remarkably quiet in the first half Sunday. He went scoreless (missing all four of his FG attempts), didn't register an assist and had just one rebound. DDV then missed his first two three-point attempts in the third before drilling a 27-footer from the top of the key with less than three minutes remaining in the quarter and New York down seven. On NY's next possession, he knocked down a catch-and-shoot 3PT from just above the break. He scored on a layup a minute later. 

Those are his last points of the evening, but hopefully, some positive momentum can carry over into Game 5. 

🏀 Fortunately for New York, Miles McBride stepped in a big way with DiVincenzo struggling. 

Deuce logged 27 minutes (just one less than DDV) and finished with 13 points (on 4-of-7 shooting), four rebounds and three triples. He's hit ten three-pointers in this series, and each one seems to have come at a crucial point in the contest. Deuce also did a solid job defensively,

helping to keep Maxey under wraps (Maxey was just 7-of-19 from the floor over the final three quarters).

In the 98 minutes McBride has been on the floor in this series, New York has outscored Philly by 29 points. 

In the 94 minutes McBride has been on the bench in this series, Philly has outscored New York by 25 points.

🏀 McBride and Achiuwa may have to continue to play extended minutes going forward, as Bojan Bogdanovic suffered a left ankle contusion almost immediately after checking into the game in the second quarter. 

Bogey and Nic Batum were chasing down a loose ball when Batum dove and landed on Bogdanovic's left foot. Bogey was clearly in great pain as he limped to the locker room. The Knicks ruled him out of the contest shortly after halftime. It was also reported earlier in the day that he is dealing with a wrist injury that may require surgery this summer.

🏀 New York was also without Mitchell Robinson for Game 4. 

He was listed as questionable leading up to the contest and was seen getting some shots up before tip-off. At one point, Woj even tweeted that Robinson was "warming up with the intention of playing."

However, the Knicks ruled him out a few minutes later. While he has made progress over the past couple of days, Robinson was seen leaving the locker room still in a walking boot once again. We'll see if Thibs provides any updates on Bogey or Mitch Rob after Monday's practice. 

🏀 Embiid (who finished with 27/10/6) didn't score nearly as many points in Game 4 as he did a few nights earlier, but he still managed to draw the ire of Knicks fans with some questionable fouls.

Jalen Brunson took exception to an elbow delivered by Embiid as JB made his way through the lane without the ball in the third quarter. 

However, Josh Hart was the victim of Embiid's most egregious act on Sunday. After fouling Hart while attempting to block his shout near the baseline, Embiid stepped over Hart and stepped on his left calf. Then, after quickly looking down, Embiid stepped on Hart again in the same spot. 

As a reminder, the Basketball Gods see everything, even if the refs and the league office miss it.  

🏀 One of the funny storylines surrounding these two games in Philly has been the boisterous and outsized presence of Knicks fans inside the Wells Fargo Arena.  

They serenaded Brunson with "M-V-P" chants each time he went to the FT line and were in full throat through the end of the game.

This did not sit well with several Sixers, including Mr. Embiid. 

"I love our fans, but it was unfortunate. I'm not calling them out, but it is disappointing," Embiid said. "But never seen it (like Sunday), and I've been here for ten years. Yeah, kind of (ticks) me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town, so ... I don't think that should happen. It's not OK."

🏀 As for Kelly Oubre, he had some interesting comments when asked about Brunson erupting for 47 points. 

"34 shots," Oubre said as he shook his head and chuckled. "I mean, yeah, he's a great, great player… But anybody who shoots 34 shots that has skill and is a great player they're gonna be able to do well. And especially getting screes and getting mismatches, find the right matchups and things like that."

Well, I checked Basketball Reference, and it turns out that among all players in NBA history who have had 34+ FG attempts in a playoff game, Jalen Brunson is the first and only player ever to score 40+ points and dish out 10+ assists while committing fewer than two turnovers.

That's odd, considering "anybody that has skill" should be able to do it.

🏀 Brunson has made a league-leading total of 30 FGs this postseason in the paint non-restricted and midrange areas. Of his 132 points in the playoffs, he's scored just 20 on layups and 21 from 3-point range.

Non-traditional superstar, especially in today's NBA, but a superstar nonetheless. 

🏀 For the young Knicks fans reading this, you may have heard your dad, uncle or older brothers/sisters/friends talk about what playoff series were like in the 90s. Well, now you get the idea.

It's physical and intense, with points at a premium. Every possession is a war. Plus, you develop an extreme hatred for the opponent, so it's all a gut-wrenching experience. 

Welcome to playoff basketball!!

🏀 Lastly, for folks in/around New York who would like to attend Game 5 at MSG on Tuesday but haven't won the lottery recently (as of this morning, the cheapest ticket available on the secondary market is $483), I'm happy to announce that my partners at Autograph are holding a raffle for a pair of insanely discounted tickets - just $24/per ticket ($48 for the pair). 

Here's how to enter:

🏀 Download the free Autograph app using this link: https://link.ag.fan/76ersknicks5. If you already have the Autograph app, still click this link to be eligible, and you'll be taken directly into the app to claim the offer.

🏀 Be sure to use TSBEER to sign up.

🏀 Claim the playoff ticket offer in the reward section of the App.

Best of luck!