Knicks Loss Spoils Jalen Brunson Masterpiece

Jalen Brunson was fantastic, but the New York Knicks couldn't salvage a win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson shoots against Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are down 1-0 in their series with the Indiana Pacers after an epic 17-point collapse in the final six minutes of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Normally, the Knicks win when Jalen Brunson scores 40 points or more. Including the playoffs, the Knicks are 19-6 when Brunson scores 40 or more since he arrived in New York, however, that wasn't the case in Game 1.

NBA.com writer John Schuhmann believes the Knicks wasted Brunson's performance.

"The Knicks’ point guard scored a game-high 43 points on 15-for-25 from the field and 12-for-14 from the line. And that was with [Aaron] Nesmith working his tail off to stay attached to Brunson through a myriad of ball screens," Schuhmann wrote.

"Brunson did a lot of damage against other defenders when he got the opportunity. And he did almost all of his damage inside the arc. He shot just 1-for-6 from 3-point range but was 14-for-19 on 2-point shots, forcing his way into the paint for short floaters from every angle.

"... Brunson appeared comfortable with whomever was in front of him. Nesmith, [Andrew] Nembhard, [Ben] Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin. It didn’t matter. The Pacers ran a couple of double-teams at him, but probably don’t want to do much of that going forward. Maybe they’ll just hope that he eventually misses a few more shots."

Brunson is the best player for the Knicks, and the offense runs through him. Without Brunson, the Knicks wouldn't have gotten close to the Eastern Conference Finals, and if New York wants to get to the NBA Finals, he will have to play like he did in Game 1.

However, the Knicks also need to find ways to get more stops because teams usually win when they score 125 points in regulation. They better hope Brunson can have performances like this as the series progresses.

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