Jalen Brunson is giving the Knicks something they’ve missed for decades

Jalen Brunson is doing it again. You know, that thing where he puts the New York Knicks on his back, right over his superhero cape, carrying them long enough for everyone else to follow his lead. 

This time, he’s doing it on the biggest stage, during the NBA playoffs, against the reigning champion Boston Celtics. And by doing it now, on this stage, against this team, he’s giving the Knicks something they haven’t had, not really, in decades: a genuine chance to win it all.

Jalen Brunson dropped historical performance in Game 4 against the Celtics

Legacies aren’t built off one game, or even a singular series. Still, when we look back on New York’s Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics Tuesday night, it will be a defining moment of Brunson’s career, the performance that cemented his place on the Knicks’ Mt. Rushmore of franchise icons, with an outcome that paved a path for this team, his team, to make the NBA Finals.

Before we go any further, let’s first note that Brunson did not do this alone. Mitchell Robinson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Deuce McBride, and the at times apathetic Karl-Anthony Towns all played key roles in nudging the Knicks toward an improbable 3-1 series lead. The Celtics also saw Jayson Tatum, their own lifeline, go down with an injury that stands to impact not just this series, but the future for both him and the franchise. 

This is all important context. None of it, though, serves to undermine the indescribable brilliance from Brunson. He hit big shot after big shot, against a ferocious Boston defense. In the third quarter, during a trademark Brunson Barrage, he accounted for over 83 percent of the Knicks’ total offense, scoring or assisting on 25 of their 30 points.

Finishing with 39 points, 12 assists, and only one turnover falls firmly in “Is that a typo?!” territory. It’s not a typo. But it is historical.

Virtually every possession in the second half from Brunson felt like a guaranteed bucket. His ability to navigate traffic, to go through or around bigger defenders, is absurd. He converted 9-of-12 shots from inside the paint or restricted area, a cool 75 percent clip. That is bonkers stuff against this Celtics defense, let alone for someone like Brunson, who stands 6'2" on days when the tape-measure holder is feeling super generous.

The end result was a 121-113 victory, despite the Knicks trailing by as many as 14 points. New York is now one win, one solitary victory, from returning to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Through Jalen Brunson, all things are possible

Who knows what happens from here on. The Celtics have the top-end talent to force a Game 6 and 7, maybe win the series, even without Tatum. Especially if the Knicks come out with the effort (or lack thereof) they brought in Game 3.

Projecting forward is dangerous. And yet, Jalen Brunson has made this necessary.

History says these Knicks will close out the series, whether it’s in Game 5, or Game 6, or Game 7. It says they will make the Eastern Conference Finals, leaving them four wins away from their first NBA Finals cameo since 1999. The Indiana Pacers, or less likely, according to history, the Cleveland Cavaliers await in the next round. Neither is anything close to a stepping stone. But after carving out a 3-1 lead against, for the most part, a fully intact Celtics rotation, anything feels possible.

And from there, who knows? These Knicks, the ones who have frequently looked much less than the sum of their parts, could be the Eastern Conference champions. They could even be NBA champions. 

To be clear: Planning the parade jumps the shark. But imagining it, with a straight face, no longer feels overly whimsical. The hard part isn’t done. Far from it. But thanks to the initial Jalen Brunson emergence years ago, as well as everything he’s done since, the most important part is already in place, something and someone the Knicks haven’t had in decades, dating back all the way to prime Patrick Ewing, if not further: a superstar capable of spearheading a team that can win it all.

Dan Favale is a Senior NBA Contributor for FanSided and National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.