Jalen Brunson Ties Michael Jordan in Elite List After Knicks' NBA Finals Win
It’s not often an NBA player finds himself aligned with the great Michael Jordan on a list noting elite playoff performances.
That’s where Jalen Brunson found himself on Saturday night, after he scored a game-high 45 points to power the New York Knicks to their first NBA Finals victory. Brunson’s effort is now tied with Jordan’s 1998 Game 6 performance for the third-most prolific scoring performance in a title-clinching game in NBA history. Brunson and Jordan each slot in beneath former Hawks forward Bob Pettit and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokoumpo, who scored 50 points in clinching contests in 1958 and 2021, respectively.
Brunson was phenomenal for the Knicks when they needed him most, netting a 36-point effort in Game 4 and following it up with his explosive performance in the series’ final game. For his efforts, he was honored as NBA Finals MVP.
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Brunson finished the series with 163 total points, scoring less than 30 in just one of five games. He finishes the postseason averaging 28.3 points per game while becoming the first Knicks player to ever score over 40 points in an NBA Finals game.
At his introductory press conference, after he took a $113 million discount upon signing with the Knicks in July 2022, he expressed to the New York fan base that he was not the “savior” of the franchise “in any way, shape or form.” Well, that’s exactly what he’s turned out to be in just four seasons with the team, guiding it to its first championship in 53 years.
While speaking on “Inside the NBA” after the Knicks Game 5 win, Charles Barkley declared Brunson the greatest free-agent signing in NBA history. It’s hard to argue that point after Brunson’s herculean performance over the Knicks’ miraculous postseason run, which they finished winning 15 of their last 16 games.
Brunson has been everything Knicks fans could have hoped for and more, and everywhere you turn, there is another stat to prove it.
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 8:36 PM.