After Jalen Brunson became the Knicks’ first playoff scorer in 40 years in Philadelphia on Sunday, former coach Bernard King welcomed the opportunity to talk about the longtime record holder.
Brunson’s 47 points in Game 4 against the 76ers prompted longtime coach and television analyst Hubie Brown to return to King’s back-to-back Knicks-Pistons postseason series in the first round of the 1984 playoffs. He scored 46 points in the match.
Brown, 90, who still calls games for ABC and ESPN, pointed to the difference between the eras of the physical 1980s and today’s NBA games, which rely on 3-pointers, but also noted the difference between the two He also sees clear similarities in the way the players think and think. The ability to play through injuries.
“We played the Knicks four times this year, the first time was on Christmas when we beat Milwaukee, and Brunson was great,” Brown told The Post’s Stephen Bondy in a phone interview. “Speaking of Bernard, Brunson has a 3-point shooting advantage, but even with his size, once he gets past that 3-point line, he’s a lot like Bernard. , he can create even in traps. They both have the IQ and physical agility, and that spin move comes out of the move and the defense. He splits up and shoots high percentages at the top of the circle and in the mid-range game. [Brunson] There it is.
“Plus, just like Bernard, it’s physically taxing for a frontline player to play every time he plays. Brunson is underrated for that because he’s sitting on the floor a lot. He He doesn’t get enough credit for physical punishment. But he doesn’t hesitate. He goes there to make something happen.”
In Knicks postseason history, there have been nine games in which an individual scored 43 or more points, five of which were played by King, all during the 1984 playoffs.
Three of those points came against Detroit, and he averaged 42.9 points in a 3-2 win against Isiah Thomas’ Pistons in the first round.
King scored 46 points in 39 minutes in a Game 2 loss at the Pontiac Silverdome on April 19, and 46 points in 40 minutes in the Knicks’ Game 3 win at the Garden three days later.
In the next round, he faced eventual NBA champion Larry Bird and the Celtics, and during a seven-game losing streak, he scored at least 43 points in two more games.
As Brown noted, King also played with a splint on his left hand in the playoff series against Detroit, which limited the small forward’s ability to dribble to the left.
“I think the first thing you have to think about is, ‘How could he do this?'” Brown said. “When you talk about the greatest post-up players in the history of the game, his name always comes up. …But the splint just magnifies it to a whole different level.”
King, a Brooklyn native who now lives in Atlanta, was the NBA’s leading scorer in the 1984-85 season with 32.9 points per game, but suffered a serious knee injury and missed the entire following season.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2013, eight years after Brown was inducted.
“When you look back at the days of hand checks and heavy fouls that Bernard had to put up with, don’t ever compare players from that era to players from this era,” Brown said. “Hand checks and hard fouls were part of the game. There were no technical fouls, the players were still in the game, and no one was fined, so the players stayed within six fouls. As long as they could do it all night and lay you out.
“But I’m very happy to see [Brunson] doing this. This is great. Because anyone who says this is what they’re hearing from this young man as he moves here from Dallas needs to walk away from that conversation. …look at his chances [with the Mavericks] And now he’s here and all of a sudden we’re looking at a new player. It’s such a beautiful story and he’s such a great kid and, like Bernard, does everything so well. ”
Brunson also scored 61 points in the March 29 game, one shy of the team mark set by Carmelo Anthony in 2014. Anthony surpassed King’s 60-point performance against the Nets on Christmas Day 1984.
Brown also noted that Brunson scored 38 points against the Bucks on Christmas this season.
“It was a big coming out party for him on national television and around the world,” Brown said. “Never underestimate the mental and physical toughness of a 6-2-year-old kid doing this. Never mind his fanatical dedication to becoming a better player in training. Everything about him is exactly what you dream of as a player. … He’s a well-rounded player and it’s great to watch.”
