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NoStatsGuy wrote:why is JB not higher in the mvp list? i dont get it. is 3rd see not good enough?
Adelheid wrote:
TheDavinciCHODE wrote:meh, Boston has nothing to play for now, so I am not taking too much out of this game other than that brunson is the GOAT.
But this is a good time to say this.
BOSTON SUCKS.
Everything about it sucks.
- The Red Sox
- Tom Brady
- The Boston Tea Party
- Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, and anything else that touches it
- The Wampanoag just for living there a thousand years ago
- Harvard
- Good Will Hunting
- The Departed (actually I love this movie)
Everything about that town sucks.
Fat Kat wrote:
The best team in the NBA threw all it could at Jalen Brunson. By the end, it was as if the Boston Celtics didn’t attempt enough.
The Celtics’ top-flight defenders couldn’t slow the New York Knicks point guard. They scrolled through defensive coverages, some as creative as Brunson has faced this season. None hampered him as intended.
These days, not much does.
Brunson and the Knicks eviscerated Boston on Thursday. The Celtics’ cosmetic final period prettied up the result, a 118-109 win for New York, which led by as many as 31 points in the second half — thanks, in part, to another sparkler from Brunson, who fell one point short of his third consecutive 40-point performance.
“The way he plays, the things he can do, it’s definitely special,” OG Anunoby said. “He’s one of the best in the league. He’s playing like an MVP; (he) should win MVP.”
KNICKS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/GnFOqdbt2Z
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 12, 2024
It’s high praise from a supportive teammate, but for now, ignore the award conversation. Forget about where Brunson should place on an MVP ballot or whether he should make first- or second-team All-NBA. Don’t mind the 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting and 6 of 11 3-point accuracy against the Celtics, all of which came before he rested the entire fourth quarter.
Heck, don’t even acknowledge the tear Brunson is on, averaging 38.5 points over his past eight games, and it’s not like he’s just chucking during this time. He’s hitting 51 percent of his field-goal attempts and 41 percent of his 3s over the streak.
But the trivia stops here. Send the two previous paragraphs into one eye and out the other. The numbers, at least at the moment, do not tell the full story.
Instead, focus on one word that Anunoby used: “special.”
The greatest mark of a “special” player isn’t his statistics over a two-week heater. It’s the way elite competition approaches that player and how he responds. And in that sense, Brunson is reaching a stratosphere to which few rise.
The Celtics had only their pride to play for Thursday. At times, it appeared they were lacking it. A group that locked up the Eastern Conference’s top spot long ago didn’t bring second efforts every possession. Too often, it failed to close out on shooters. Its energy did not match the Knicks’.
But strategically, behind an adaptable coach in Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics showed up — even if Brunson made it seem like they did not.
Brunson influenced every step Boston made. Yet, it couldn’t find a way to scoot in his way.
The Celtics began the night with Jrue Holiday, maybe the best defensive guard of his generation, manning center Isaiah Hartenstein just in the hopes it would muck up the pick-and-rolls Brunson and Hartenstein weaponize.
Conventionally, defenses send two defenders at Brunson when he dribbles around a screen. The goal is obvious: Get the ball out of his hands. But the Celtics, loaded with physical perimeter defenders, wanted to switch the action.
To begin the night, Brunson ran pick-and-rolls. Holiday would switch from Hartenstein to Brunson, which meant the Knicks’ top scorer going up against one of the world’s most uncharitable stoppers.
Yet, Brunson figured it out.
The Celtics cycled through defenders and coverages.
At different moments, Holiday, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown guarded Brunson. They began the game by switching on his pick-and-rolls. They played a drop with center Kristaps Porziņģis sagging inside the 3-point arc to take away the rim. During a second-quarter run, Brunson continued to call over Porziņģis’ man, Josh Hart, for pick-and-rolls, waiting for Porziņģis to drop back. Then, Brunson sliced up Boston with floaters and midrange jumpers.
In other moments, the Celtics pestered him from end line to end line. Come the start of the second half, they trapped him, sending both defenders in the action his way on pick-and-rolls.
Brunson responded in character, getting rid of the ball quickly, allowing a teammate to attack a vulnerable defense in a four-on-three and darting somewhere else, allowing him to get open again. On top of all the highlights, he’s become one of the league’s most active cutters over the past 2 1/2 months.
Whatever the Celtics tested, Brunson figured it out, and it didn’t take him long.
HopelessKnick wrote:Clyde_Style wrote:I'm not sure if it has sunk in for most of us yet, but we have
One of the best offensive players in the NBA, probably top 3 when you consider clutchness IMO
AND
The BEST defensive player in the league. NOBODY is as good as OG. He's pretty close to being the best defensive player I've seen in any era. TBH, I'm racking my brain trying to think of anyone this good and I'm coming up blank. Maybe he is one of the greatest defenders of all time after all. He sure looks like it
It was always about getting a superstar scoring option, but mark my words, OG Annunoby is our # 2 guy in terms of net value to winning anything. OG is getting paid folks.
OG being able to shut down the best players is like having another Top 10 player on the team
Yes, we can always use another reliable scorer, but the importance of that will be secondary to what OG does for this team.
I repeat, we have two of the best players in the league already.
If you've followed the club for decades, then you know we should count our blessings
Oh yes something along those lines had sunk in for me in November already.
aggo wrote:
SOFT
thats fake hustle
hes insecure. just like the entire team.
RIP mags
blueNorange wrote:Fat Kat wrote:
i notice a lot of big name people push the narrative of brunson not being the ideal #1
but then see the scalabrines, house, perkins, the color guy for the pacers just drooling over brunson and how great he is.
jj redick is the only big name personality that says brunson is underrated
Jalen Bluntson wrote:aggo wrote:
SOFT
thats fake hustle
hes insecure. just like the entire team.
I don't get how the Knicks or the Bucks are highly desperate. We are talking about the 2 and 3 seed here. The Bucks just won a couple years ago on top of it. As of Boston has done anything other than choke since 2008. Total BS answer. They tried to win that game and were embarrassed. Then they quit to make it look like they didn't care? Weak!
?
HopelessKnick wrote:HopelessKnick wrote on November 26th in the Knicks Suns game thread:Purely in terms of offense, Brunson is the second or at least 3rd best PG in the entire league.
Steph Curry is first and Lillard likely second. Brunson really could be averaging 30+ points on efficient % if he wanted to. IMO he is even a better shooter than Lillard. Steph is the better 3 point shooter but Brunson the better midrange shooter....Brunson is the best midrange shooter among PGs in the entire league. He is the main reason this team will likely win again 45-50 games. Without him they don't even make the playoffs.....maybe 35 wins or so..
Ah and let me add: He is the sole reason Leon Rose still has a job in NY.
Don't say I didn't tell you so. Even back then when Brunson was acquired I was saying to people that he WILL extend his range and become a great 3 point shot because his mechanics are elite.
Anyone remember when Kenny said the Knicks don't have the best player on the court for most nights? I think he should look deeply in the mirror and reconsider his expertise. Just sad at this point that Julius can't be part of this.....I said it multiple times since the OG trade....a healthy Knick team would have had a great shot at the title....forget the ECF, they would have competed for the title. I actually think they may have been slight favorites overall....no other team has the combination of a deadly scorer at PG, a great super physical PF, the best Center rotation in the league and the best wing defender in the league. The size, physicality, strength as well as shot making of the Knicks is unmatched here. Now that we have OG to slow down people at the wings, the defense has become truly stiffling. OG was the missing ingredient. With McBride's, DD's as well as Brunson's 3 point ability we have enough longrange shooting. You add the best wing defender in the league that happens to shoot close to 40% from 3 and you have the best team in the league. The best part of it is this team is going to be together for many years to come. Just gotta keep IHart and Precious around.
blueNorange wrote:Fat Kat wrote:
i notice a lot of big name people push the narrative of brunson not being the ideal #1
but then see the scalabrines, house, perkins, the color guy for the pacers just drooling over brunson and how great he is.
jj redick is the only big name personality that says brunson is underrated
Gravy wrote:drekwins wrote:Clyde_Style wrote:
I guess I shouldn't be surprised after surviving Fizdale as our coach, but I'm still a little shocked at how utterly dumb this guy appears. This is the coach of the Celtics? Sounds like a loser vlogging from their basement hunting for his first like on social media
I'm not shocked at all. He legit provided one of the worst coaching performances last playoffs against Spo and was completely lost. Everyone knew it and saw it. A lot of ppl even thought he would be fired cuz he was so overmatched. It was the worst coaching that I could ever remember and almost tore the team apart internally. If they face Miami and that happens again, the culture will become very toxic and they will implode. It''s start off with fans grumbling. The team will press. Then, frustration will show. Players will start playing uncharacteristically. Someone might even get injured from trying to do things they dont normally do. Mark my words.
Mazz is not a good leader... not strategically... and not charismatically.
They could also end up winning a championship because of overwhelming talent where mediocre coaching would not matter. It's the opposite of the Knicks that only had one month where they were whole. The rest of the season Thibs has to figure out how to win games with basically a play-in roster on paper. And we could still get to 50 wins after all of that.
Jalen Bluntson wrote:aggo wrote:
SOFT
thats fake hustle
hes insecure. just like the entire team.
I don't get how the Knicks or the Bucks are highly desperate. We are talking about the 2 and 3 seed here. The Bucks just won a couple years ago on top of it. As of Boston has done anything other than choke since 2008. Total BS answer. They tried to win that game and were embarrassed. Then they quit to make it look like they didn't care? Weak!
