New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson entered Michael Jordan playoff territory with his series-clinching performance against the Detroit Pistons. It was another Cardiac Knicks affair on Thursday. However, this game felt a bit different as New York came out of the gates hot in both the first and third quarters. However, Detroit mounted furious comeback after furious comeback and eventually took a seven-point lead with less than five minutes left. The Knicks, however, showed their resilience with their headline star closing the show on a game-sealing three with four seconds left to win 116-113.

The ultimate overachiever was at his best when his team needed him most. Brunson scored 40 points and recorded seven assists in front of a very hostile Pistons' crowd. New York will now move on to face the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round. With this performance, the Knicks' captain put himself in a legendary class. OptaSTATS recapped the historical significance of Brunson's showing.

The Knicks had multiple heroes in this gritty road win

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and guard Josh Hart (3) celebrate after defeating the Detroit Pistons during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena.
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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New York has not made this playoff stretch easy on the hearts of its fans. Every game has been an absolute war. There have been several times when the Knicks have looked like a class above the Pistons, which they are in terms of talent. And there have been times when Tom Thibodeau's team has seen drops in both energy and execution. That was the case on Thursday night, but credit to this group for coming out of the gates hot. Brunson led the charge with 15 points and four assists in the first quarter.

While Detroit came back multiple times and even took the lead at certain points, New York largely maintained a lead for most of the game. And that's important because having to play catch-up for most of a contest can exhaust a team. A key example of that was in Game 2, where New York could not complete a furious comeback and looked exhausted by the end.

In addition to Brunson, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges were terrific on both ends. The two wings, particularly Anunoby, were instrumental in Cade Cunningham's inefficient night while also putting up 47 total points. Mikal Bridges was a hero with less than a minute to go on offense with a massive tip-in to tie the game at 113.

Overall, yes, the Knicks will now face the Celtics and enter that series as a heavy underdog. Nights like this one will have to be the norm for Anunoby and Bridges in that series, and this team will need a lot more from Karl-Anthony Towns. But tonight is a celebration of this franchise for winning a playoff series for the third consecutive year. It's been a trying season at times, but the Knicks, led by their superstar point guard who loves this time of the year, still have all of their goals ahead of them in May.