Brunson showed a clear presence in the first game of the playoffs in New York.
The New York Knicks won 101-97 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs held at the Cleveland Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on the 16th (hereinafter Korean time).
With the 4th seed and the 5th seed, there was not much difference in the regular season standings between the two teams, but it was a series in which there were much more eyes on Cleveland’s dominance. The home-court advantage is in Cleveland, and New York wasn’t in good shape due to an injury sustained at the end of the regular season by key Julius Randle.스포츠토토
Randle overcame concerns and returned to the first game, but the field goal rate was only 35.0% (7/20), and he could not show his usual power. However, New York got off to a good start to the series by capturing Game 1 on the road.
The driving force was Jaylen Brunson’s outburst. While other key scorers, RJ Barrett (7 points) and Emmanuel Quikley (3 points), were also struggling, Brunson saved New York by scoring 27 points, the most on the team.
In particular, his performance in the 4th quarter shone. In the 4th quarter, when New York, which had been ahead all along, allowed a fierce pursuit, Brunson calmly led the team’s offense and protected the victory. New York would have suffered a futile come-from-behind defeat if it had not been for the performances of Brunson and Josh Hart. Brunson dominated the match by mixing mid-range game and rim attack.
This isn’t Brunson’s first playoff run. He contributed to the team’s advance to the conference finals by showing a hot performance last season, when he was in Dallas. In particular, during the period when Luka Doncic was injured, he acted as a first option and became a savior.
Brunson, whose stock price soared, entered the free agent market and hit the jackpot by signing a four-year, $104 million contract with New York. There was also a view of overpay, but Brunson proved his worth with his skills. He has made the leap into a top-tier backcourt resource this season, averaging 24.0 points, 6.2 assists and 3-point success rate of 41.6%.
Dallas fans, who were eliminated from the playoffs, are greatly missing Brunson’s performance. Brunson has been reborn as a perfect free agent. Can he continue to play well throughout the series and lead New York’s upset?