PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Brunson capped a historic series with a heroic effort.
The Knicks guard was dominant with a game-high 41 points and 12 assists to lead New York to a come-from-behind victory in the first round of Game 6 against Philadelphia.
This followed an epic collapse in Game 5 at the Garden two nights earlier, with the Knicks rebounding behind their leader.
“(It means) a lot,” Brunson said. “In the locker room after the game it was quiet, so we all knew we had missed an opportunity. But we know going into Game 6 we needed to get off to a good start. We didn’t have a good start to the series. Obviously they fought back and took the lead, but the start definitely helped us, and from then on it was back and forth.
“I just like the way we kept fighting. I think that’s what we’ve talked about all year, just making sure we continue to fight no matter what the situation is, we have to stay united and we’re going to fight.
The Knicks are off to a 33-11 start. And even in a back-and-forth game that resembled a heavyweight fight, Brunson threw the hardest punches.
Every time Joel Embiid gave Philadelphia the lead, Brunson would get it back with either a timely bucket or a huge pass.
“Whatever the situation is, we’re going to attack it. I just think no matter who’s in front of us or whatever, we’re going to play our style of basketball,” Brunson said. “We will work hard. We will respect our opponent. We will know that the situation will always be difficult, no matter who you play against in this league.
“So at the start we knew it was going to be tough and we just found ways to win – and found ways to lose too. It will always be something that we continue to learn every time we are on the field. So it doesn’t matter the situation or the team. We just know that every situation is different and we need to approach it with the same mentality.
Brunson had three games of at least 35 points and 10 assists in this series, only the second player to do that in a playoff series.
The other was Oscar Robertson, 51 years ago.
But his mind was already on Indiana.
“It’s a really cool name to be a part of. But I’m already focused on the next round. We must have a long way to go,” Brunson said on television. “We will continue to fight. It’s our thing all year round. No matter what happens, you want to come out the next day and we’re going to keep fighting.
New York Post
