New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson passed his old teammate Luka Doncic on an all-time playoff list. The Knicks’ season came to a bitter end against the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The 125-108 loss was not the performance this group wanted to go out on as turnovers and transition points were the keys to the game.
Unfortunately, Brunson struggled in this matchup, putting up 19 points and recording five turnovers. It was, however, another terrific postseason for the superstar point guard. The captain subsequently moved up on the all-time playoff scoring list, passing a few current and future Hall of Famers in the process.
The Knicks’ magical postseason run finally came to an end
It’s a tough pill to swallow losing to the Indiana Pacers again, but New York should be able to look back at this season with pride. After a maddening regular season at specific points, the Knicks were able to win 50 games for the second straight year and put themselves in a position where the season’s success was going to be evaluated by how they did in the playoffs. Beating the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round and making the Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years is a success.
Brunson predictably spearheaded this run, averaging 29.4 points and seven assists over these 18 games. There were plenty of legendary performances during this spell, including the series’ clinching three-point shot in Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons. Jalen is already in the process of cementing himself as an all-time great in franchise history and should only rise in the ranks from here on out.
Overall, the Knicks are about to enter one of the most interesting and potentially consequential offseasons in recent franchise history. This group should forever be praised and beloved for their accomplishments this season. That being said, there are questions about whether this roster’s core and this coach can take that championship-level step. One weakness that was apparent heading into the season was that the defense is on a somewhat shaky foundation with a starting unit that includes Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Pacers exploited this deficiency repeatedly throughout this series, and teams will continue to do so in the future.
Should the Knicks keep their two All-NBA players together, the team’s depth and perimeter defense need to be upgraded to shore up these weaknesses. This all must happen as this group builds more chemistry and raises its offensive ceiling. In addition, Mikal Bridges needs to be the third-best defender in the starting unit and cannot be the central point-of-attack defender. The Knicks’ wing had some signature moments this postseason, but struggled navigating screens while guarding Tyrese Haliburton throughout the series.
The Pacers and Thunder are two franchises that have thrived off their ball pressure, depth, and transition offense. That is the future of the NBA, and New York failed to adjust to that in this series. It’s time to adapt and take that next step. The question is whether a big swing is in New York’s near future.
