The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson was named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year, and he showed why in Game 1 against the Celtics
“We’re going to find the best way to attack each possession. It may look like I get the credit, but it’s a credit to them, it’s not just me.”
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As the Celtics kept hurling 3-pointers at the rim, missing an NBA playoff-record 45 at TD Garden Monday night, the Knicks kept chipping away at the double-digit hole they had dug for themselves.
When the Knicks were within striking distance during the fourth quarter, there was a three-minute stretch when Jalen Brunson seemed to have an answer for every bucket the Celtics made.
Jrue Holiday snapped an 86-86 tie with a 3-pointer with 6:26 remaining, and 31 seconds later Brunson sprinted to the corner and buried a 24-footer to tie it. Jaylen Brown muscled past Josh Hart for a layup that broke an 89-89 tie, and Brunson sank two free throws to knot it again. Then, Brunson buried back-to-back, step-back 3-pointers to give the Knicks a 6-point lead with 3:28 remaining.
Stretches like that are part of why Brunson won the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award last month. He takes his game to another level in the fourth quarter.
“He just lives for the moment. That’s just what it is,” Knicks forward Mikal Bridges said. “He wants to be the guy, especially on the road, that silences the crowd and leads us to victory. It’s just who he is, how he was raised, and all that stuff toward the end of the game I think makes him even better of a player.”
Overall, it was a rough shooting night for Brunson. He went 9 for 23 from the field and missed all four of his shots in overtime. His 3-point shot was falling, but he had trouble getting anything to go in the paint. He got a tremendous look on the final play of regulation, cutting past Holiday after inbounding the ball for a floater over Al Horford that barely rimmed out.
“Obviously that wasn’t the result that we wanted,” Brunson said. “But we had another five minutes to go out there and compete, and we went out there as a team and did that. Just thankful that I have my teammates because in overtime I wasn’t at my best, but my teammates had my back and I’m very thankful for that.”
The Knicks, who had just endured a physical six-game, opening-round series with the Pistons, brought physicality when it counted on defense. They held the Celtics to 5 points in overtime, making up for Brunson’s struggles in OT.
“I think y’all saw, it took us a little while to figure out how this series is going to be,” Hart said. “We got beat with bats for six games, so we brought our bats here and I don’t know if we could have been as physical. It took us a little while to figure out how the game was going to be called, but that’s part of the game, part of the playoffs. You’ve got to figure it out game by game, series by series.”
Bridges sealed the 108-105 win by wrestling the ball away from Jaylen Brown for a steal on the final play of the game.
“I’m a football guy,” Bridges said. “So, I was just watching his eyes and following where the ball was at and trying to get my hands as soon as I see the ball because we were up 3 and trying to foul. So, just trying to track the ball, see where his eyes were going to lead me, and try to get the ball.”
OG Anunoby tied Brunson with a game-high 29 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter as the Knicks were surging. Karl-Anthony Towns posted a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) despite foul trouble. Hart, a 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard, also posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
“It’s not about putting the team on my back, it’s just that I have confidence in them, they have confidence in me, and we’re going to go out there and compete,” Brunson said. “We’re going to find the best way to attack each possession. It may look like I get the credit, but it’s a credit to them, it’s not just me.”
The Knicks bolstered their roster with veteran players last offseason, and it helped them grab Game 1.
When the game is on the line, the Knicks have one of the league’s best clutch scoring threats in Brunson. But now, he has an experienced cast around him, and it shows, according to Anunoby, who won a title with the Raptors in 2019.
“I’ve played against great teams in the past and we all have experience,” Anunoby said. ”Jalen’s been in the conference finals, Mikal and Cam [Payne] have been in the [NBA] Finals. [Towns] has been in the Western Conference finals. I think, collectively, we’re all an experienced group and it shows in moments like this. We’re resilient.”
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