Speaking with a good level, after the Knicks 2-0 Celtics, Brunson talks about his performance at critical moments

New York Knicks star Jaylen Brunson shared his views on performance at critical moments after his second game against the Boston Celtics.

Jaylen Brunson keeps proving that he was born for the playoffs. Although many regular season stars will collapse under pressure, the Knicks' on-field commander is becoming increasingly sharp. He showed his strength again on Wednesday, scoring a key nine points in the fourth quarter, helping the New York Knicks reverse the Boston Celtics 91-90.

The performance of that game engraved his name in history - Brunson was the first player to score at least 83 points in the fourth quarter in the first eight games of the two playoffs (2024 and 2025) since 1997. From winning ball to turning the situation around, Brunson took on the team’s burden at a critical moment in New York.

In addition, only two players have done it even once—Stephen Curry in 2023 and Kobe Bryant in 2008. But Jaylen Brunson has done it twice and has done it very well. In the second round against the Boston Celtics, Brunson had completely controlled the pace of the game at the end of the game. In both games, he led the Celtics 17-13 in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. In the second game, he took over the final six points of New York, including a key free throw with 13 seconds left.

"I needed to focus at that moment. I couldn't be too tangled with what happened before the game. The key is to focus, keep a clear head, and try to win the game. That's my mindset, I wouldn't have been like that without my teammates." Knicks captain Brunson said after the Boston victory.

Jeren Brunson leads the Knicks

Brunson is the driver of the Knicks' dominance at a critical moment in the playoffs this season. In the last five minutes where the score difference was within 5 points, New York had a goal difference of +21 and won five of seven such games. Brunson leads all players (at least three games) in the key scoring list of the playoffs this season, and when he is on the court, the Knicks have the highest goal difference in the league, with plus or minus 31 points.

Not surprising for anyone who has seen him play this year – there is a reason he was named Key Player of the Year of the 2024-25 season, as he leads the league in scoring late in the game.

Brunson's shooting percentage was not high - he scored 17 points from 6 of 19 shots, including 2 of 9 three-pointers and 3 of 4 free throws - but he still sent seven assists in the 38-minute hard game. Except for Carl Anthony Towns (9 of 16 shots) and Josh Hart (23 of 9 of 15 shots), the rest of the Knicks players have struggled to find the rhythm. It was a tough, time-consuming victory for New York.

The Knicks don't want to win in every playoff game, but with Jaylen Brunson as the finisher, they have every reason to be as confident as any team in recent years.