After winning 1 game each at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Knicks and the Cavaliers enter the Mecca of Basketball as the series shifts to New York. While Game 3 was a 20-point blowout in the favour of Jalen Brunson and co., Game 4 is turning out to be a well-fought thriller.
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While the likes of RJ Barrett, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson have been impactful, Brunson has been the go-to guy for Thomas Thibodeau’s boys on the offensive end.
Asserting his dominance early, in merely the first half of the battle, the 6-foot-1 guard recorded 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.
Jalen Brunson becomes the first Knick to achieve special accomplishment in 10 years
With a few seconds left in the 3rd period of the contest, the 26-year-old star knocked down a huge 3-pointer. Not only did the former Maverick help NYK regain their lead, but he also joined the historic books.
Having recorded 20+ points for the fourth consecutive game, the former second-round pick became the first player since Carmelo Anthony to do so an entire decade ago.
After recording 27, 20, and 21 points in the first 3 games, Brunson has already surpassed the 25-point mark with more than half a quarter remaining.
Jalen Brunson (21 PTS) is the first Knick to score 20+ in 3 consecutive playoff games since Carmelo Anthony in 2013 👏 https://t.co/l7QTmeSwSI pic.twitter.com/odwua37b0E
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2023
It seems as tho the NBA’s Twitter account has made a human error, writing “3 consecutive playoff games” instead of “4 consecutive playoff games”.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the undersized guard also became the first Knicks player in 10 years to record 15 points in the first half of a playoff game.
Jalen Brunson is the first Knicks player since Carmelo Anthony (2013) with a 15 point 1st half in a playoff game.
Brunson scored or assisted on 24 1st half points, and the Knicks outscored the Cavs 46-37 in his minutes on the floor. pic.twitter.com/6FYgroq1iK
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 23, 2023
Carmelo Anthony’s incredible 2013 postseason run
While Jalen’s 4-game run is pretty impressive, it gives us perspective as to how incredible Melo’s 2013 postseason run was. 12 straight 20-point games.
Having defeated the Celtics 4-2 in the first round, Anthony erupted for 29.2 PPG.
Unfortunately, the Knicks’ playoff run came to an end as they suffered a 2-4 series loss against the Pacers. However, the forward put on some special performances in the series as well. Playing almost 39 MPG, Carmelo averaged 28.5 points per game.
