Jalen Brunson Sets Tone as Knicks Dominate 76ers in Game 1

The opening contest of the second-round series between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks belonged to Jalen Brunson and the Knicks. New York threw the first punch, and in fact, it was an extremely lopsided affair between these two teams, with the Knicks dominating from start to finish for the 137-98 victory.

Again, it was Brunson who set the tone. He's had some significant playoff moments throughout his career, and he stamped his name on this one early. In the first half alone, he had 27 points. The Knicks were plus-19 with him on the floor, and he was shooting 10-for-14 from the field. He was ultra-efficient and completely took control of the game, which allowed New York to kind of coast from there and just manage things in the second half.

That is huge because while New York is the favorite in this series, this has been a Knicks team that has been upset before this season by teams it should not have lost to. But now, with a commanding 1-0 lead and a real chance to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, this was a positive step in the right direction, and it was primarily driven by Jalen Brunson.

If New York continues to get this kind of production from Brunson, it's going to be in a great spot moving forward. This was exactly the kind of opening statement the Knicks needed to make, and now they have put themselves in position to build on it as the series continues.

From here it's all about taking care of business in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden so that the Knicks are up 2-0 as the series tilts to Philadelphia later this week. With the Boston Celtics now eliminated, this is shaping up to be the year that the Knicks represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.