Jalen Brunson is building a legendary Knicks legacy

Walt Frazier, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing. When it comes to New York Knick all-time greats, those three names tend to reign supreme. Jalen Brunson is making the case that he belongs among them. 

Brunson is only in his second year as a Knick, but the historic nature of this postseason is placing him in some rarefied air. And Brunson's performance on Tuesday night may have been his most impressive and important yet. 

In perhaps the biggest game at Madison Square Garden in decades, Brunson led a depleted Knicks team to a critical 121-91 victory over the Pacers. With the win, New York now holds a 3-2 series lead as the rivalry shifts back to Indiana for Game 6 on Friday night. One more win and the Knicks are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. 

While being the star player on a Knicks team that advanced further than any other in almost a quarter of a century would be enough to shine light on Brunson in New York for a long time, the way he's doing it is why he's being compared to such legendary names. 

Brunson scored 44 points in Game 5, giving him five 40-point games already this postseason. The last time any NBA player posted five or more 40-point games throughout a single postseason was when LeBron James did it in 2018.  

Brunson's 44-point game also came while hitting 18-of-35 shots and being a +31 overall. He even added seven assists and four rebounds. So not only did Brunson pick up a team that was without the recently injured OG Anunoby and has been minus Julius Randle for months, but he also did it by making history. 

Game 5 became the second 40-point game for Brunson in this series alone after Philadelphia had to endure three of them in the first round. 

Even though Knicks fans surely love Brunson, it may be difficult for some to worship him quite the way they do the others. They just can't hold Brunson in the same regard as Frazier for delivering championships, King for being such an attraction, Ewing for resurrecting New York basketball or even Carmelo Anthony for choosing to come home when other stars were hesitant to play for the Knicks. 

But if Brunson and the Knicks keep this miraculous run going, this group may forever be appreciated in their own right. If New York gets by the Pacers, they will likely be a heavy underdog in a potential matchup against the Celtics, assuming Boston keeps taking care of business and moves on. 

Don't tell that to Brunson and his Knicks, though. Following the lead of Brunson, the Knicks are a team who are often at their best when doubted.