Knicks finally get the vintage Jalen Brunson performance they needed

For much of this series, Jalen Brunson was bullied and missing.

You wondered about potential pain hampering his explosiveness, or maybe it was the banged knee sustained in Atlanta, or maybe it was just Dyson Daniels imposing his strength and size on a small point guard.

Brunson was, at best, average through four games. And that’s not what we’ve come to expect from Captain Clutch in late April.

But then the fourth quarter happened Tuesday night in a 126-97 Game 5 breeze over the Hawks, and reminders of Brunson’s supernatural footwork were all over the MSG court.