Knicks guard Jalen Brunson scored a franchise playoff record 47 points and heard MVP chants as he led the Knicks to a Game 4 road victory and three games to one lead.
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.
