Knicks Jalen Brunson Joins Michael Jordan in Rare Air originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by National Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
From his roots winning a state championship at Stevenson High School to two national championships at Villanova, Jalen Brunson has always been about winning.
So his perplexed reaction to joining some of the game’s giants on a statistical basis with their current NBA playoff run should come as no surprise.
“I’m just focused on the next game,” Brunson said on Thursday’s TNT broadcast — and repeatedly after the game in comments to reporters — when told he had reached a statistical milestone not published since Michael Jordan in 1993, following his game in New York. The Knicks eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brunson’s 41-point, 12-assist performance marked his fourth consecutive playoff game with 39 or more points. He joined Jordan, who did it in 1990 and 1993, Bernard King (whose franchise single-game scoring record Brunson broke with his 47-point Game 4) and Jerry West, who had six straight games in 1965.
This is an elite company.
So there you have it: Brunson joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history with at least 35 points and 10 assists in three games of a playoff series.
But guess what? All Brunson is focused on is winning. The Knicks now host the Indiana Pacers with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line.
