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Jalen Brunson Recreates Michael Jordan’s Historic Feat After 21 Years, Enters Elite Club

Published 05/06/2024, 11:05 PM EDT

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Jalen Brunson is in an unstoppable form in the playoffs at the moment. The New York Knicks point guard is continuing his hot streak against the Indiana Pacers. With yet another 40-point display today, Brunson has entered the same conversation as Michael Jordan, for breaking a historic feat after 21 years. The Knicks have a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, but the Knicks fans are more excited about the comparisons that Brunson is receiving with the Chicago Bulls legend. 

Despite trailing down 5 points at halftime, the Knicks were adamant about securing the home court. Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby were brilliant, but the offense wouldn’t have been the same without Brunson. The 27-year-old superstar dropped 43 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists to defeat the Pacers 121-117. 

As per reports from SportsCenter, Brunson is the only player after Jordan to drop 210 points in a five-game span in the playoffs. This is the most by a player after Michael Jordan, who achieved this back in 1993. Notably, this is the fourth consecutive 40-point performance from Brunson in this playoffs. So, it’s only fair that he gets compared with the Chicago Bulls icon. 

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If you still do not want to hear Brunson’s name next to his Airness, here is another record that the Knicks guard achieved today. 

Jalen Brunson joins Michael Jordan and two others in another notable record

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After his 43-point display today, Brunson is the fourth player to have four consecutive 40+ point games in the playoffs. The last to do this was Michael Jordan, who did it in 1993, the same year he won his third championship. Bernard King was the first Knicks to do this. He did it in 1984. Jerry West has the most games with consecutive 40+ point performances in the playoffs. In 1965, West recorded six back-to-back 40-point performances for the Lakers. 

Brunson needs just two more games to tie West’s record. He had 47 points in game 4 against the Sixers, 40 points in game 5, 41 points in game 6, and 43 points today against the Pacers. The Knicks couldn’t get past the Conference Semi-Finals last year. The Miami Heat were too hard for them. However, with X-factors like DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby, Conference Finals is not a dream anymore for Brunson and the Knicks. The Knicks have not made it to the Conference Finals in the last 24 years. In 1999, they were the first 8th-seed team to reach the Conference Finals in NBA history. Game 1 is over now. The Knicks will return to the Madison Square Garden for game 2 in a few days.

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Written by:

Rohan Dharmalingam

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Rohan Dharmalingam is an NBA beat writer at EssentiallySports, who extensively covers the Lakers. Be it a multimillion dollar deal breaking or a classic throwback, Rohan has covered the many themes and formats. Most notably, his coverage received a shoutout from the Purple & Gold icon Shaquille O'Neal and the rap legend 50 Cent, on Instagram.
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Edited by:

Aazima Basharat