For all 48 minutes of a bonkers second-round series opener between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers, the clichés were apropos for two teams that came into this matchup with dramatically contrasting styles.
Their lone (healthy) All-Star and fringe MVP candidate, playing with more impact than anyone else still left in this postseason, finished with 43 points on just 26 shots, surgically operating on a Pacers defense that allowed 125.8 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court.
In 44 minutes, Brunson finished with a 35.3 usage rate and a 66.9 true shooting percentage. Comical stuff. He went 14-for-14 from the free throw line, and became the first player in NBA playoff history to finish with at least 40 points and five assists in four straight games.
While facing routine blitzes, full-court pressure, and every single quality on-ball perimeter defender on the Pacers' roster, Brunson shredded everything thrown his way, scoring 21 in the fourth quarter, each midrange fallaway infusi
[
add
]
[
|
|
...
]