The New York Knicks are one win away from an NBA championship, and Kendrick Perkins believes Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby deserve to be mentioned alongside one of basketball’s most iconic duos after their Game 4 heroics.
Following New York’s stunning 107-106 comeback victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks erased a 29-point deficit, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, behind dominant performances from Brunson and Anunoby. Brunson finished with 36 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals, while Anunoby delivered a playoff career-high 33 points and scored the game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Perkins couldn’t contain his praise while discussing the performance, saying what he watched reminded him of the legendary Chicago Bulls pairing of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
“I witnessed greatness last night,” he said on ESPN’s First Take. “An all-time great performance by the Knicks and all-time individual performances by OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, a.k.a. Big Body Brunson. They were Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen last night in real time. They came out and they got on their a** in the second half. They got on their a**es like a pair of apple bottoms. I’m gonna name the jeans…
“It wasn’t just the second half. We gotta realize and remember Jalen Brunson kept the game, kept the Knicks relevant throughout the second quarter. He went through about 15 to 17 points in the second quarter. And then all of a sudden, he didn’t take one breather in the second half. In the second half. And he showed what true leadership was all about.”
Anunoby also made arguably the defensive play of the game, chasing down De’Aaron Fox for a critical block in the closing seconds before securing the win moments later with his tip-in.
The victory gave New York a commanding three-games-to-one lead in the NBA Finals and moved the franchise within a single win of its first championship since 1973.