The Knicks' season appeared to be crumbling.
There was Jalen Brunson, seated in pain on the floor near the sideline in Detroit. He was holding his right ankle, after having already missed a month of the season with an ankle injury.
The Pistons looked like they might be on their way to a series-tying victory.
Instead, Brunson returned to the Knicks' bench at the start of the fourth quarter, came back in the game at the 10:14 mark, and refused to let New York lose.
"This was a pretty intense game, and I don't know how, but I'm happy we won," Brunson told ESPN.
To compare anyone to the place Willis Reed holds in the NBA's collective consciousness is bold.
But really, Brunson's night might've been better. Reed hit a couple shots in that famous NBA Finals night before being largely ineffective.
Brunson ran the show the whole fourth quarter. He scored 16 points in the game's final 10:14 while also assisting on a pair of 3-pointers. That's 22 points contributed to as part of a 30-19 Knicks run to end the game.
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When he left the game, the Pistons led by four. By the time Brunson returned, Detroit was up 74-64. Then the lefty superstar took over.
Brunson's 16 points in the final 10:14 didn't appear to be without pain. After multiple of his tough finishes in the lane, he could be soon struggling to catch his balance on the shaky limb.
He even hit an extremely difficult sidestep 3-pointer from the right wing, a shot that definitely depends on some sturdy ankles.
BRUNSON SIDE-STEP 3 FOR 30.
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2025
CADE MIDDY FOR 25.
All-Star point guards going at it in postseason basketball 🔥💥
DET leads by 4 with 3 minutes to play on ABC! pic.twitter.com/32NgR8IHNo
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Brunson's final line: 32 points and 11 assists.
It's his fifth career playoff game with 30-10 for the Knicks. There have been only three such games in the rest of the franchise's entire history.
Brunson is New York's all-time playoff performer, its leader, its point guard.
And when called upon Sunday, Brunson didn't sit out. He came back in the game, played one of the best quarters of his career and sent the Knicks on their way to a massive, momentum-seizing victory.
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