The New York Knicks were on the uncertain side of the referee’s whistles during the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was mostly because of Joel Embiid‘s deceptive fouls, the ability to sell them, and other antics. However, it seems that the notion has changed in the second round, as Jalen Brunson got the bigger end of the stick during a debatable play.

Brunson leaped in the air to contest Myles Turner’s easy bucket near the basket, colliding with the big man in the process. Initially, the refs did the obvious and handed the 6’4 guard a foul. However, as Tom Thibodeau challenged the call, Brunson’s foul was overturned, making it a controversial moment. As fans took some time to wrap their heads around the play, it took Nicolas Batum’s wife, Lily E Batum, just 5 minutes to come up with a GIF that read “So dirty!” in response to the instance.

Lily’s comments are an echo of the 76ers’ fans, who believe that Jalen Brunson consistently flops and sells fouls to the referees to get on the foul line. It also jeopardizes the opposing team’s flow, while restricting its players on the defensive end of the floor. A signifying factor of the same can be Brunson’s 10.5 free throw attempts in the series against the Knicks, which were a climb from 6.5 FTA during the latest season. However, Brunson also increased his shot attempts during the stretch to 30 FG attempts per game from 21.4 FGA, taking weight off his criticism.

Nevertheless, selling fouls is a part of the game, and Jalen, who often is the smallest player on the court, needs the tactic to make things even for himself on offense.

Jalen Brunson is the top-scorer in the 2023-24 NBA playoffs

After today’s game against the Indiana Pacers, Jalen Brunson became the 4th player in the league to score more than 40 points in 4 consecutive post-season games. He’s also the first one to celebrate the feat since Michael Jordan celebrated it last in the 1993 NBA finals.

He shot monstrously well, aiming for 21 points straight in Quarter 4 of the game, and finished with 43 points in all, as New York beat Indiana, 121-117.

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With that, Jalen Brunson now remains on top of the playoffs’ scoring leader chart. He has scored 256 points in the seven 2023-24 post-season games, marking an average of 36.6 points per game. Moreover, it seems like he will retain the mantle for quite some time; thanks to his flawless form and the fact that Anthony Edwards (second in playoff scoring) sits 89 points behind Brunson. However, when looking at the top-5, Brunson is second-last in the 3-point percentage and in plus/minus ratings.

Nevertheless, the Knicks, who have the home-court advantage in the series, will yet again reside in Jalen Brunson to get a win when they host the Pacers again on May 8 for Game 2. They will then fly to Indiana for Games 3 and 4.