Is Jalen Brunson the Greatest New York Knicks Player Of ALL-TIME?!

With the Knicks deep into a special playoff run, the inevitable question arrived: is Jalen Brunson the greatest New York Knick of all time? The answer on the show was a firm, affectionate no, and the case against was airtight.

Brunson, the argument went, is a tremendous clutch player in big spots. That is not in dispute. But the greatest Knick ever is a different conversation entirely, and it starts with two names.

The first is Willis Reed, who won two championships, captured an MVP, and beat West, Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain in a Finals, famously hitting the first two shots of game seven. The second is Clyde, another two-time champion and an all-time great. Both won titles. Brunson, for all his brilliance, is not on that level, and that is not a knock so much as a fact of Knicks history.

Then there is the real dividing line: Patrick Ewing. The take here was that Brunson is not even on Ewing's tier yet. Ewing spent 15 years in New York and ranks among the top 50 players in NBA history. He had to get through Jordan again and again, plus Hakeem Olajuwon and Pippen, the kind of gauntlet that defines a career. Brunson, by contrast, is not a top-50 player all time, at least not right now.

The verdict came with a clear condition. Win a championship, the argument allowed, and Brunson earns a spot ahead of Ewing. Until then, the most generous placement is fourth, behind Ewing, Willis, and Clyde, a ranking offered mostly to keep Knicks fans happy.

There was even a pointed shot at the competition Brunson has beaten on this run. Did the Atlanta Hawks have a Jordan-level player on the roster? Is Jordan a little better than Donovan Mitchell, not to mention Pippen? The point was that Ewing's path was simply harder.

The door, though, is not closed. Beat SGA or the Spurs without home court, the argument allowed, and the whole discussion reopens. For now, the message to Knicks fans was equal parts respect and reality check: enjoy Brunson, savor the run, and go win one first.