(Photo : Al Bello/Getty Images)
NBA on TNT's Kenny Smith once said that Jalen Brunson is always the second-best player in the series in which the New York Knicks play.
Will he say the same thing about the Knicks All-Star following his performance in their series-clinching win against the Philadelphia 76ers?
Brunson put up 41 points in Game 6 and dished out 12 assists in the win while knocking down clutch threes to put away the Sixers for good.
He also made the clutch pass for the three to Josh Hart, putting the Knicks in the driver's seat, 114-111, with 24 seconds left.
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Brunson's performance in the series was sensational, making it easy to say that he was the best player on both teams.
Considering his last four games, he is already in the same league as the NBA's all-time greats.
According to sports commentator Nick Wright, Brunson's averages of 41.7 PPG and 10.2 APG is only the fifth time a player finished a four-game stretch with such stats.
Who were the other four to do it?
They were MVPs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Russell Westbrook, Lebron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
These four are former MVPs who made a mark for their respective teams and are locked for Hall of Fame induction in the near future.
Other interesting Jalen Brunson stats record
The NBA Stats X account also reported that Brunson is only the second player after Oscar Robertson to have "3 games of 35+ points and 10+ assists in a single postseason series."
The same account said, "Jalen Brunson is the 3rd player in NBA History with four consecutive playoff games of 35+ points and 5+ assists in a single postseason."
The other players who achieved this are LBJ in 2009 and Michael Jordan in seasons 1989 and 1990.
Safe to say, he is the top player in the Knicks-Sixers series, proving Kenny Smith wrong.
Charles Barkley makes huge Brunson proclamation
Brunson started making a name for himself as a tag team partner of Luka Doncic at the Dallas Mavericks, but the Mavs did not sign him.
Instead, he played for the Knicks in 2022 after agreeing to a four-year, $104 million deal, a contract many say is the most efficient in the league given Brunson's production.
The Mavs' loss is the Knicks' gain, and Charles Barkley thinks this is one of the best decisions made by an NBA front office.
"Brunson is one of the best free agent signings of all time," Barkley said while discussing the NY PG's performance.
"He's not Lebron. He's not Kobe [Bryant]. Not Kevin Durant. Those are all-timers. But for signing a guy that nobody. . This guy, he shocked there."
Brunson elevated the Knicks, which reached the postseason in all the seasons he's been there.
It also shows how he loves playing for New York alongside his former Villanova teammates, with whom he won two college championships.
Next up for them are the Indiana Pacers, whose main stars are Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton.
Will he be the best player in this series again?
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