Jalen Brunson delivers painful Mavericks reminder that can still reach a new level

Jalen Brunson is one of the dark clouds that will continue to hover over the Dallas Mavericks for at least as long as he's in the NBA. After nearly four years, the sting of letting him walk in free agency for nothing has subsided for the most part, but watching him go off for the Knicks, especially in the playoffs, reopens the wound.

The former Dallas guard had 19 points in the first quarter of New York's Game 1 playoff series against Atlanta on Saturday. He cooled off a bit after that, but still finished with 28 points, five rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and just two turnovers in 36 minutes.

Jalen Brunson continues to make Mavericks look foolish

Thinking back to all of the doubts there were about Brunson's incapability of being that guy for New York would be amusing if it wasn't Dallas that let him slip through its fingers. He had already established himself as a playoff performer with the Mavericks, averaging 21.6 points in 18 playoff games in 2022, stepping up as Luka Dončić recovered from a calf strain.

Brunson has carried that same energy over to the Knicks, but multiplied it by one million. The pressure of being the face of one of the most storied organizations in all of professional sports doesn't faze him. Being down late in the game doesn't, either. He's clutch. His game doesn't take a hit when the lights are the brightest in the playoffs.

He's just averaging a casual 29.9 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in the postseason with New York. That's not all that good, is it?

And he can still make the Mavericks look even worse

Even worse? Is that possible?

Yes, yes it is.

Brunson signed with the Knicks with the ultimate goal of ending the team's championship drought that spans over 50 years, a dream that could come true in roughly two months. He helped lead them to the conference finals last year for the first time since 2000, and you would've thought that was the equivalent of New York winning a title with the way the city responded.

It will be so much worse for Dallas if Brunson, who is already a Knicks legend, cements his status to the max by raising a banner in Madison Square Garden. Think about what that discourse will be like.

It's only one game, but Brunson and New York are off to a good start. As for Dallas, things could be better!

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