Jalen Brunson did not just lead the New York Knicks to a championship. He became the face of a title run that ended a 53-year wait.
That has changed the way his place in franchise history is discussed. Kendrick Perkins, along with plenty of fans and analysts, has pushed the idea that Brunson is now the greatest Knick ever, even if that debate still includes Patrick Ewing and other legends.
What is not up for debate is that Brunson’s Game 5 performance belongs in wider NBA history. The way he closed out the San Antonio Spurs put him in Michael Jordan territory.
Jalen Brunson joins Michael Jordan territory with Game 5 fourth quarter
According to ESPN, Brunson’s 15 points in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ title-clinching 94-90 win over the Spurs was the most points in the fourth quarter of a Finals-clinching victory since 1998, when Jordan scored 16 for the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz. It was the kind of closing stretch that defines championship guards.
Brunson finished with 45 points, and that number also tied Jordan’s Game 6 performance in 1998 for the most points ever scored on the road in an NBA Finals-clinching game.
The context makes it even stronger. New York repeatedly had to come from behind in the series, including Game 5, and the 29-year-old guard was the player who gave the Knicks late control.
That is why the greatest Knick debate has accelerated. Brunson now has the title, the Finals MVP and a historic closing performance.
Whether he is already above every franchise icon can still be argued. But against the Spurs, he delivered a Jordan-level finishing; that is a fact.
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