Jalen Brunson just delivered one of the most unforgettable Finals performances in recent memory. He dropped 45 points in a closeout Game 5, erased a double-digit deficit, and brought the Knicks their first championship in 53 years. But according to former NBA forward Chandler Parsons, that still isn’t enough to put Brunson in the same conversation as the all-time greats.
On a recent segment of Run It Back, Parsons was asked to stack Brunson’s 2026 Finals MVP run against a list of legendary championship performances. The results were eye-opening — and not in a way New York fans will appreciate.
Parsons gave Brunson the edge over exactly one player: Jaylen Brown. He also narrowly placed him ahead of Paul Pierce’s 2008 run. Against everyone else — Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kawhi Leonard — Parsons said Brunson came up short.
The timing is especially brutal. Brunson’s Game 5 performance is already being compared to some of the great Finals closers in history. Trailing by double digits in the third quarter on the road, he took over completely — scoring at will, drawing fouls, and hitting big threes. He finished with a franchise playoff record 45 points, shooting 38.9% from deep for the series and averaging 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds across the Finals. The MVP vote was unanimous.
Still, Parsons didn’t budge. When asked if Brunson’s run surpassed Dirk’s 2011 championship or Kawhi’s 2019 masterpiece, the answer was a firm no. The internet, predictably, had opinions. Knicks fans flooded social media with clips of Brunson’s fourth-quarter dominance, arguing that Parsons was underselling the sheer difficulty of leading a Knicks team — one that hadn’t won a title since 1973 — through the Eastern Conference and past a stacked Western foe.
There’s a fair debate here. Brunson’s numbers are elite, but the competition level and narrative weight of runs like Dirk’s (taking down the Heatles) or Kawhi’s (beating a Warriors dynasty in six) carry different historical gravity. Parsons simply drew a harder line than most.
Whether you agree or not, one thing is clear: Brunson’s 2026 run is already part of the conversation. And if the Knicks keep winning, Parsons might be the only one still ranking him behind Paul Pierce.
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