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Jalen Brunson is doing his best to carry the New York Knicks on his back in their 2025 Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Indiana Pacers. After scoring 43 points in a heartbreaking come-from-ahead Game 1 defeat, he followed it up with a 36-point performance in a 114-109 loss in Game 2 — which was especially heartbreaking for Brunson as he couldn't make a game-tying triple in the dying embers of the game to pull off a miracle comeback similar to the one the Pacers had in the first game to fall down 2-0 in the series.
Nonetheless, the heavy lifting Brunson is doing must be applauded, even in defeat. In fact, no other player has scored more than the Knicks star's 79 points in a two-game span in the Eastern Conference Finals since LeBron James scored 84 for the Cleveland Cavaliers all the way back in 2009, according to SportsCenter on X (formerly Twitter).
That, however, is a bit of a cautionary tale; James' Cavaliers were favored in the ECF against the Orlando Magic, but his herculean efforts weren't enough to get Cleveland past Orlando, with the latter taking the series in six games. James even made a game-winning triple in Game 2 of that series, only to lose both games on the road to fall down 3-1 and unable to mount a huge series comeback.
For the Knicks, all hope may not be lost even if the Pacers are now up 2-0 in the series. The Pacers lost Game 3 of their series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Cavs, so if there were ever a time for the Knicks to begin their series comeback, it will be on Sunday night.
Brunson will have to continue doing the heavy lifting on offense, and it's not like they've been struggling to put the ball through the basket. It's on defense that the Knicks will have to figure things out, especially after allowing the Pacers to shoot 51.8 percent from the field on Friday night.
Jalen Brunson, Knicks face must-win scenario
There isn't a single team in the history of the NBA to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, so they will have to win Game 3 against the Pacers to avoid being given a death sentence. Perhaps the Knicks could decide to give Mitchell Robinson more minutes for defensive purposes or cut Cameron Payne, a minus-nine in Game 2, out of the rotation entirely.
Brunson, who played 39 minutes in Game 2, may have to log a few more even though he's being hounded by the Pacers' defense on every possession.
