How amazing is Jalen Brunson's Knicks playoff run? He now stands with these 3 NBA legends

NEW YORK – It seems hard at this point to be surprised by anything Jalen Brunson does.

He carried the Knicks through a tumultuous regular season, keeping them afloat while injuries and bad luck looked determined to bring them down.

And then you watch Brunson go off for 43 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night against the Indiana Pacers, again carrying the Knicks, again bringing the Madison Square Garden crowd to its feet, again proving why he’s the team’s heartbeat, and again showing that when he plays this way, just about anything is possible for the Knicks.

The greatest stars deliver at the greatest moments.

In this 121-117 victory over the Pacers, Brunson did exactly that.

He scored 21 points in a fourth quarter that at one point saw the Knicks trailing by nine, and provided yet another reminder that nothing should come as a surprise anymore.

"I'm not going in thinking I need to score 40," Brunson said. "That's not my mindset at all. My mindset's to be aggressive and to make plays for myself and for others. I get in the paint and see what's happening. I have the confidence I can score in the paint, but I know I have the confidence my teammates are all moving and getting into open positions where they can be successful as well."

Monday night’s performance was Brunson’s fourth consecutive game with at least 40 points. He fell one point short in Game 3 in the first round against the Sixers of that streak extending to five.

He's the fourth player in NBA history to have this type of run, joining Jerry West, Michael Jordan and Bernard King. And he's the fifth player in history with 30 points and five assists in five straight games, a group that includes Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Oscar Robertson and LeBron James.

Brunson on Monday shot 14-of-26 from the field. He made all 14 of his free-throw attempts. He grabbed six rebounds and handed out six assists.

'All he cares about is winning'

“That’s what you love about Jalen,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You could go on and on every night. The thing I love about him is he’s all about the team. All he cares about is winning. And he cares about his teammates.”

Brunson keeps on proving that.

When the Pacers went up by five with just more than four minutes to go, Brunson delivered with a three-pointer.

Then he made two foul shots to tie the game at 109.

After an OG Anunoby dunk, it was Brunson again with a step-back jumper to give the Knicks a four-point lead.

Brunson iced the game with three free throws in the final 12.1 seconds.

Sensing a theme?

You should be.

Whatever the Knicks need, whenever they need it, Brunson somehow manages to deliver.

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Not that Brunson is about to accept any praise. He's far more comfortable deflecting it.

“We just find a way,” Brunson said. “No matter what it is, just give each other confidence to make sure we can get the job done. It’s nothing in particular, it’s just the group of guys we have, we all just give each other confidence and move forward together."

How Jalen Brunson fuels the Knicks

Oh, and playing time? Brunson played 44 minutes.

He and Thibodeau are a perfect match.

Brunson plays with grit and tenacity. He plays with as much energy in the closing seconds as he did the opening ones.

The Knicks feed off him. They have all season.

While leading his team on this wild playoff run – and who knows where it’ll end – Brunson keeps etching his name into the team’s history books, cementing a legacy along the way.

Perhaps no one on the team knows Brunson better – except for maybe Josh Hart – than Donte DiVincenzo, Brunson’s Villanova teammate and roommate.

Think any of this surprises DiVincenzo? Think again.

“He’s been doing this ever since we moved in together in college,” DiVincenzo said. “He’s been doing this. It’s preparation mixed with opportunity. I think opportunity presents itself to him and he takes full advantage of it. He studies the game, he knows how teams are going to adjust and he continues to make adjustments himself. He finds different ways to be successful.

“He’s always had this. Now you guys are seeing it on this stage.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jalen Brunson: Knicks' star makes NBA playoff history, joining 3 legends