Promotion 4-2! 40 points + accurate kill! Knicks Brunson: Is the key to the great value too hard?

In the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Knicks 4-2 Pistons advanced to the second round.

In this game, Brunson made great contributions, scored 40 points, and shook away at the critical moment of the final quarter, Thompson made a three-pointer and made a decisive shot to the final kill.

It can be said that the Pistons lost to Brunson in this game. In fact, the Knicks fought with the Pistons until the sixth game. The Pistons' defeat was not as bad as the outside world predicted. They even lost another game because of the referee's mistake, falling behind 2-3, so that the game was directly won.

The Pistons had no need to be disappointed by being eliminated in the first round. It can be foreseeable that under the leadership of Cunningham, the Pistons of the Youth Army have a promising future.

Of course, now it is the Knicks. This luxurious starting team with "Brunson + Hart + Bridges + OG + Downs" will be a horror existence that Eastern teams don't want to meet in the playoffs.

In terms of paper lineup, in the Eastern Conference, only the Celtics starting lineup can compete with one.

I have to say that the Knicks' current team building is really amazing. Brunson definitely made great contributions to their ability to have this lineup.

Brunson's salary sacrifice.

The Knicks exchanged "Randall + Divinchenzo" for Carl Anthony Towns. From the current point of view, this is a deal that both parties benefit. Although the Knicks' salary is blocked, their stadium strength has huge impact on the offensive end. The Timberwolves' stadium strength has slightly reduced, but they also have more flexible salary space.

Although Towns has arrived and some people think that Towns with very good data can be called the core star of the Knicks, in fact, Brunson is still the Knicks' well-deserved "boss".

Because in major moments, Brunson is a truly trustworthy player.

In the series G6, Towns' performance was not outstanding, with 4 of 10 shots, scoring 10 points, 15 rebounds and 2 assists. After the game, Towns was interviewed by reporters, "I think this game is a bit of a reflection of our entire season. We always make things more complicated. We have been on the hardest path, but we finally completed the task." The Knicks, who are about to face the Celtics in the semi-finals, need to be prepared.

However, they are already a huge threat to the Celtics, and they have unlimited possibilities with their top starting lineup.

To be honest, Brunson's "pay cut" is also due to some contribution to the Knicks' ability to form this lineup.

It is their luck to have Brunson, because Brunson is not only a player who is smart and has a tough style of playing, but his salary contract is also very valuable. He signed a four-year early renewal agreement worth $156.5 million, which is a maximum salary contract.

This is usually a contract for the second or even third leaders of the team. Many core stars who are more sensitive to salary will not even negotiate the second maximum salary.

But Brunson accepted it.

There is no doubt that this contract with an annual salary of less than 40 million yuan is definitely worth celebrating. It should be noted that according to the new labor-management agreement, Brunson was originally eligible to sign a five-year, $269 million contract in the 2025 offseason.

And Brunson's early renewal decision would allow him to receive a guaranteed amount of $113 million less.

So, is it because Brunson is stupid, or is it because he doesn't love money?

is not.

Signing the maximum salary does not mean that Brunson is not clear about it. In fact, Brunson knows the principle of paying as soon as he sees good things.

As a short outside star, he is more "discriminated" in the league. Unlike other stars with body advantage, he has experience and skills to assist him even if he is injured and has declined in athletic ability.

Because of limited height and size, the shorter stars have a short peak period, and even one injury causes a decline in athletic ability, which may cause a fatal blow to them.

What's more, there are Thomas Jr./Oladipo's past lessons in the league. The two of them just don't understand the principle of stopping when they are better, so they were completely destroyed by continuous injuries.

However, in the face of the temptation of a maximum salary contract, many people would rather take a gamble. For example, Russell and Schroeder both rejected the generous contracts given by the Lakers, but were then completely defeated by reality.

Although Brunson is really tough to play, he is not comparable to other ordinary stars, and he even has the possibility of getting a maximum salary.

But he is very smart, able to learn from the lessons of his predecessors, and decisively sign the next maximum salary in the face of the temptation of a big contract, so as not to end up with Thomas and others. He is quite sober both on and off the court.

The Knicks are simply lucky to have such a player.

Their series with the Celtics will inevitably be quite exciting in the future.