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Monday, April 29, 2024

Brunson Burner Singes Sixers as Knicks Win 97-92 to Take 3-1 Lead

In the 1980s, the New York Knicks featured the "BK Broiler": Bernard King won the 1985 regular season scoring title--averaging 32.9 ppg to beat Larry Bird and Michael Jordan--after a sensational 1984 playoff run during which he led the league in postseason scoring (34.8 ppg) while scoring at least 40 points in four straight games. During the middle of that 1984 playoff scoring spree, King scored 46 points in back to back games, setting a franchise playoff single game scoring record that stood for 40 years--until Jalen Brunson, who could be dubbed the "Brunson Burner," torched the Philadelphia 76ers for 47 points on Sunday as the Knicks won 97-92 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Brunson shot 18-34 from the field, and he also tallied 10 assists while committing only one turnover in 44 minutes. He nearly matched the combined scoring output of Philadelphia's All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who scored 27 points and 23 points respectively.

With the game up for grabs, Brunson scored nine points in a bruising fourth quarter during which the Knicks scored 20 points on 6-21 (.286) field goal shooting while the 76ers scored 16 points on 6-24 (.250) field goal shooting. Brunson's shifty moves, deft ballhandling, and excellent footwork in the post make him very difficult to guard.

Maxey and Cameron Payne led the 76ers with five fourth quarter points each, while Embiid scored just one point and shot 0-5 from the field. Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse is rightly praised for his strategic acumen, but that fourth quarter will not appear on his career highlight reel: the 76ers looked disorganized, and Embiid spent most of the final stanza camped out behind the three point line. Although Embiid can make three pointers, he is most effective when he is operating in the paint, where he commands double teams, draws fouls, and converts high percentage shots.

Overall, Embiid shot just 7-19 from the field, and the dominant themes of his playoff career have not changed: in the postseason, he is often injured/out of shape, which contributes to his playoff numbers not matching his regular season numbers. Embiid's physical talent and basketball skills are undeniable, but there is no reason to believe that he will ever be healthy enough and well-conditioned enough to lead a team on a deep playoff run. As for Maxey, the sample size is small, but he seems to be better suited to the second option role than James Harden, who capped off his horrific elimination game resume with nine points and five turnovers while shooting 3-11 from the field as the Celtics routed the 76ers, 112-88, in the last playoff game of Harden's Philadelphia career. Harden then whined his way out of town and was traded to the L.A. Clippers, which elevated Maxey to the second option role behind Embiid.  

While Embiid and his 76ers have been treading water at best for the past several years, Brunson and the Knicks are rising. Brunson had a fantastic 2023-2024 regular season, ranking third in Knicks history in both total points (2212) and points per game (28.7). If he continues to play at his current level, Brunson will rank among the greatest guards in franchise history. The short list now, in chronological order, begins with Richie Guerin, who earned six All-Star selections and three All-NBA Team selections as a Knick. Walt Frazier was a seven-time All-Star, and a seven-time member of the All-Defensive Team who also earned six selections to the All-NBA Team. Frazier played an essential role for both of New York's championship teams (1970, 1973). Earl Monroe earned two of his four All-Star selections as a Knick, and he cemented his place in Knicks' lore when he was the second-leading playoff scorer for New York's 1973 NBA championship-winning squad. After participating in one of the NBA's greatest rivalries as members of the Knicks and Bullets respectively, Frazier and Monroe were dubbed the "Rolls Royce" backcourt after Monroe joined the Knicks in 1971. 

My default position is to be skeptical that an undersized player can be a dominant playoff performer, but Brunson may prove to be the exception to that generally applicable rule. After averaging just 8.0 ppg in his 2021 playoff debut as a third year player with the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson scored 21.6 ppg in a 2022 playoff run to the Western Conference Finals and 27.8 ppg as he led the Knicks to the second round last year. He is averaging 33.0 ppg in the first four games of the 2024 playoffs, and his 3-3 career playoff series record could improve to 4-3 as early as Tuesday if the Knicks beat the 76ers again. The similarly sized Damian Lillard--who was selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team--has posted a 4-8 career playoff series record that will be 4-9 as soon as the Indiana Pacers finish off his Milwaukee Bucks. Here are the playoff series records of several other prominent 6-4 and under guards from the past 40 years: 

Thomas and Dumars had great success playing alongside each other with a good supporting cast, though Thomas was clearly the superior player even though they each won one Finals MVP. Billups won his lone NBA title playing alongside four players who made the All-Star team at least once, plus four-time All-Defensive Team member Tayshaun Prince. Iverson carried the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals but never made it past the second round in any other season. Parker won four titles playing alongside Pantheon member Tim Duncan, one of the greatest big men in pro basketball history. Nash won back to back regular season MVPs in a league featuring Pantheon members Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan, but he went 0-4 in the Western Conference Finals and just 7-5 in first round series. Rose led the Chicago Bulls to the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, but two years later he suffered a devastating knee injury that altered his career arc and ended his time as an elite level player, though he is still active. Curry has won four championships and made six NBA Finals appearances with the Golden State Warriors. Andre Iguodala won the Finals MVP for the first of those four championship teams, and then Kevin Durant won the Finals MVP the next two times Golden State captured the title, with Curry earning his lone Finals MVP in 2022. Westbrook teamed with Kevin Durant to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to four Western Conference Finals appearances and the 2012 NBA Finals.  

It will be interesting to revisit the above list in 10 years and see how Brunson stacks up, particularly if he can avoid serious injuries.

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posted by David Friedman @ 1:50 AM

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