As Jalen Brunson stepped to the foul line with 5.2 seconds remaining on Sunday afternoon, he heard a familiar refrain.
“MVP! MVP! MVP!,” the fans screamed.
This wasn’t Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks point guard is among the most popular players in decades. No, it was the Wells Fargo Center, the Philadelphia 76ers’ home arena.
Brunson made both free throws, clinching the Knicks’ 97-92 victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first round series and putting New York ahead three games to one. He finished with 47 points, setting a Knicks’ playoff single game record that was previously held by Hall of Famer Bernard King, who scored 46 points in consecutive first round games in April 1984.
With one more victory, the Knicks will advance to the second round for the second consecutive season, the first time that would have happened since they made the NBA Finals and Conference Finals in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons, respectively.
Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father and a current Knicks’ assistant coach, was a reserve guard on those New York teams. Now, his 27-year-old son, who was born in August 1996, has the Knicks back in the thick of the playoffs after the franchise has endured so much disappointment for nearly a quarter century. And the New York fans are embracing the team.
Several times on Sunday, “Let’s Go Knicks” chants emanated from the crowd even though it was a Knicks’ road game. Thousands of Knicks supporters traveled to Wells Fargo Center, which is about 100 miles from Madison Square Garden.
Brunson grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan and played in college at Villanova, just outside of Philadelphia, so he understands how seriously sports are taken in the city.
“I’m not going to lie, this Philadelphia fan base….they’re very relentless, very passionate,” said Brunson, who made 18-of-34 field goals and added 10 assists and just one turnover. “Seeing the Knicks (fans) here and hearing the (fans) here was pretty cool. It’s awesome.”
76ers center Joel Embiid, meanwhile, had a different opinion.
“I love our fans,” he told reporters in Philadelphia’s locker room, per PHLY Sports. “I think it’s unfortunate. I’m not calling them out, but it is disappointing…I’ve never seen it. I’ve been here for 10 years. It kind of pisses me off, especially because Philly is considered a sports town. They’ve always shown up. I don’t think that should happen. It’s not OK.”
Despite the loud contingent of Knicks’ fans, the 76ers led 27-17 after the first quarter and remained close throughout the afternoon.
The 76ers cut their deficit to 90-89 with 5:04 remaining on a dunk from Kelly Oubre, who had 19 points. But the rest of the game, the Knicks had 13 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds, as well as four blocks, including three from reserve Precious Achiuwa. Meanwhile, after Oubre’s dunk, the 76ers went 0-for-11 from the field and made 3-of-5 free throws.
Even with center Mitchell Robinson out with a sprained left ankle and Bojan Bogdanovic only playing one minute and 11 seconds after leaving with a foot injury, the Knicks had 52 rebounds, 10 more than the 76ers. In the fourth quarter alone, the Knicks had 18 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.
Josh Hart, who like Brunson and fellow starter Donte DiVincenzo played at Villanova, missed all seven of his field goals and scored just four points. But Hart led the Knicks with 17 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. OG Anunoby contributed 16 points and 14 rebounds, while reserve Miles McBride had 13 points.
Achiuwa, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Anunoby, a 6-foot-7 forward, spent much of the day guarding the 7-foot-2 Embiid, but they had plenty of help from Hart, Brunson and the rest of their teammates. After scoring a career playoff high 50 points in Thursday’s Game 3 victory, Embiid had 27 on Sunday but made only 7-of-19 field goals. Embiid was 0 for 5 in the fourth quarter.
“I thought our pace kind of slowed down (in the fourth quarter), so that hurt us a little bit,” Embiid said. “And then I thought for the most part we got good shots. We just didn’t make them.”
The Knicks didn’t shoot the ball well late, either. They made just 6-of-21 field goals and 7-of-11 free throws in the fourth quarter. With 22.4 seconds remaining and the Knicks up 95-91, Hart missed both free throws, triggering a promotion that gives anyone in the Philadelphia area free Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets if a player on the opposing team misses consecutive free throws in the second half.
Still, that was about the only highlight for 76ers fans. They left disappointed after Philadelphia blew a lead of at least 10 points for the third time this series. Knicks supporters were elated as the series heads back to New York for Game 5, which is all that Brunson was thinking about following Sunday’s victory.
At the end of the third quarter, Brunson limped off the court and held his right knee after colliding with 76ers point guard Kyle Lowry, a fellow former Villanova player. Brunson briefly went to the locker room before returning with 9:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. Asked about that sequence later, Brunson said he was “all good.”
Brunson also wasn’t about to take much time contemplating the significance of his 47-point performance and passing the legendary King in the record books.
“I’ll look back when I retire,” Brunson said. “Seriously, it’s great right now. It helped us get a win, but it’s not going to do anything for us going forward.”
Jalen Brunson Sets Knicks' Playoff Scoring Record, Hears MVP Chants In Game 4 Road Victory - Forbes
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