Getty Former New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony attends game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.
Carmelo Anthony was the last New York Knicks player to have a 30-point playoff game and lead the franchise to a second-round win.
It was only fitting that he was among the 19,812 sellout crowd at the Madison Square Garden when his mini version, Jalen Brunson, equaled his feat on Tuesday night.
Brunson dropped 30 points in an array of isolation moves that made Anthony proud to lead the Knicks to a hard-fought 111-105 victory in Game 2 to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series against old rival Miami Heat.
After the game, Brunson paid homage to Anthony and the former Knicks players who came to watch.
“That’s always good when you see a legend like that,” Brunson said of Anthony during his postgame interview. It was a special night the way the fans were. They kept cheering us on, and just to see all the guys who wore the Knicks jersey in the past come back, it’s always special. So it’s always really cool.”
Anthony was seen wildly celebrating Brunson’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:07 left.
It was part of Brunson’s 10-point barrage in the fourth quarter that turned the game around for the Knicks after starting at a six-point deficit midway.
Anthony dapped Brunson and his teammates after the Knicks’ series-tying victory before heading to Miami for Games 4 and 5.
Once a Knick, always a Knick.
Anthony led the Knicks to the second round in the 2013 NBA Playoffs after beating the Boston Celtics in the opening round. But they eventually lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games despite Anthony scoring 30-plus points twice in the series. Anthony averaged 28.8 points and 6.6 rebounds during that last Knicks’ postseason run in the past decade.
Jalen Brunson is a Shorter Version of Carmelo Anthony
Brunson is leading the Knicks into a deep postseason run in Anthony fashion. On top of his impeccable footwork, Brunson also uses his brawn to get to his scoring spot–a trait that draws comparisons to Anthony.
Kenny Smith, a former New York high school star and a two-time NBA champion, made that comparison before Game 2 of the Knicks-Cavaliers series on Inside the NBA pregame show on TNT last April 18.
“Brunson is probably the most physical guard,” Smith said. “He reminds me of a short version of Carmelo Anthony. Offensively, they touched their body with their shoulder on the chest. Very much like Carmelo Anthony as a bigger version of it, and that’s how [Brunson] scores a lot of his points.”
Brunson is averaging 25.0 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds in this year’s playoffs, heading to Game 3 in Miami.
Jalen Brunson Draws Praise From Tom Thibodeau
What made Brunson’s feat more remarkable is he played with a sore right ankle.
“That’s who he is,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after the game. “Great leader, great toughness. He never disappoints you. Sometimes he can fall short, but there’s no quitting. He never quits on a play. So I can’t say enough about that. [He] keeps everyone connected.”
Brunson labored for seven points on a tough 1-of-6 shooting in the first half. But he became more comfortable as the game wore on, exploding for 23 points in the second half to rally the Knicks to the crucial win.