Jalen Brunson is the franchise star of the New York Knicks, and that was clear in how he manufactured one of the biggest fourth-quarter comebacks in NBA Playoff history in the team’s Game 1 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brunson, who has already won a Clutch Player of the Year award, is known for his increased play down the stretch, and if that wasn’t evident enough in Game 1, his recent playoff history tells that same story.
The Knicks’ point guard finished scoring 15 of his 38 Game 1 points in the fourth quarter against the Cavaliers, capping off what has already been a historic end-of-game history for the 29-year-old over the past few years.
NBA Makes Jalen Brunson Announcement
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 10: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks looks on after his teams 144-114 over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 10, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Knicks won the series 4-0.
In a post on social media after Game 1 and just before Game 2, the NBA announced Brunson has the most fourth-quarter playoff points in NBA history since 2023, and the number isn’t even close to his competitors.
“Coming off 15 huge 4th quarter points in the Knicks’ Game 1 comeback, Brunson has scored an NBA-best 416 4Q points in the Playoffs since 2023,” the NBA wrote in a post on X. “89 MORE than any other player in that span.”
In that same playoff span since 2023, Brunson also has the most playoff points in the entire NBA, beating out players like Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all of whom have won the Finals since then.
Additionally, no player in the league has more 40+ point games in the postseason than the Knicks’ star in the past four seasons, as announced by the NBA before New York’s current playoff push.
“Since joining the Knicks ahead of the 2022-23 season, Jalen Brunson leads the NBA with eight 40-point playoff games,” NBA Communications wrote on X.
Even moreso, just to prove how dominant Brunson’s scoring numbers have been since he joined the Knicks, the team announced he became the second-fastest point guard in NBA history to reach 2,000 playoff points, which came after the team’s Game 1 win over Cleveland.
In his career, Brunson’s playoff scoring average is 25.8 points across 71 games. However, that inlcudes two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks before he became the lead option with New York.
With the Knicks, Brunson has averaged 29.6 points in 53 postseason games, which would be fourth all-time, only behind Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, and Allen Iverson.
Brunson’s Game 1 Fourth-Quarter Stats Prove His Playoff Dominance For The Knicks
Since joining the Knicks, Brunson’s scoring prowess, but late in the fourth quarter and in the playoffs in general, has been on full display in New York. That was clear in his Game 1 performance against the Cavaliers, as he hopes to put together a similar showing in Game 2 on Thursday night.
“What Brunson did in Game 1 against the Cavaliers was another day at the office, only this time it came with enhanced dramatics meant only for Broadway. A week from now, it might be considered the artist’s greatest work yet,” James L. Edwards wrote on the Knicks’ star. “over the final 7 minutes, 45 seconds of regulation, he swooped in and caught the Knicks before they crash-landed. Brunson scored 15 of his game-high 38 points to force overtime.”
Brunson torched Cavaliers’ guard James Harden in the fourth quarter, putting the veteran star on blast across the media in the time since Game 1.
Despite his small stature, the Knicks’ guard, officially listed at 6’2″ remains their primary offensive option year in and year out. The star now ranks third all-time in total Knicks playoff points, sitting only behind the great Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing.
Brunson hasn’t won a championship for New York, or even made the NBA Finals for that matter, but he’s coming ever closer. After their Game 1 win, the Knicks are three games away from their first Finals appearance since 1999, where they’ll either face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder or up-and-coming San Antonio Spurs.
The road to a title, and even more Brunson playoff success, continues in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland, with tipoff set for 8 pm EST on Thursday, May 21, live on ESPN.
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