Jalen Brunson is a true superstar who can take the Knicks to a place they haven’t been in decades

The Philadelphia 76ers made things interesting and made things difficult on the New York Knicks.

What they didn’t do was get to Game 7.

The Knicks eliminated the 76ers with a 118-115 victory in Game 6 on Thursday.

The Knicks once again have point guard Jalen Brunson to thank for that.

Brunson, who was phenomenal in the series, scored a game-high 41 points and added 12 assists in Game 6 to help the Knicks advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the second straight season.

The Knicks will play the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals, trying to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000.

Throughout the season, a truth came to light for the Knicks: They will go as far as Brunson takes them.

The 6-2 Brunson made his first All-Star team this season and en route to his first All-NBA selection, averaging 35.5 points and 9.0 assists while shooting 42.9% from the field, 30 .4% on 3-pointers and 77.8% on free throws against the Sixers.

He set a Knicks playoff scoring record with 47 points in Game 4, and in Game 6 he scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, making key shot after key shot.

His back-to-back 3-pointers gave the Knicks a 101-95 lead midway through the fourth quarter and a 12-foot jump shot put the Knicks up 107-99 with 3:27 left in the fourth. Another short jumper gave the Knicks a 111-108 lead. And Brunson’s assist to Josh Hart on a three-pointer gave the Knicks a 114-111 lead, and his two free throws with 7.7 seconds left accounted for the Knicks’ final points.

He became only the second player to score at least 35 points and 10 assists in a series three times, joining Oscar Robertson, and he is the first player since Michael Jordan in 1993 to score at least 37 points in four consecutive playoff games.

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and Brunson provided great and entertaining guard play, and the same is expected in the Knicks-Pacers series with Brunson and Indiana All-Star Tyrese Haliburton.

The story continues

Las Vegas Aces coach and ESPN basketball analyst Becky Hammon sparked controversy earlier this season when she said the Knicks did not have a 1A player.

Brunson, 27, shows he is that guy and gets an even bigger stage against the Pacers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jalen Brunson powers Knicks past 76ers. How far can he carry them?