Average of 24+13, but was bullied by the whole team? The most frustrating player in the playoffs! Leave quickly

The Knicks' season ended. In the G6 match in the Eastern Conference Finals, they persisted in the half and finally couldn't stop the Pacers' bombing in the third quarter. They finally lost to the Pacers 108-125 and were eliminated 2-4. In this game, Brunson played the worst game in the playoffs, and his personal score failed to reach 20+. The organization did not help his teammates much. There is no doubt that this game was Brunson's responsibility, but he did not expect that Towns ended up taking all the responsibilities. After the Knicks were eliminated, the Knicks reporter James L. Edwards published a long article, saying bluntly: In terms of book strength, the Knicks are no worse than the Pacers, but the Knicks' cohesion is simply not comparable to the Pacers. There was a problem with the locker room in New York, and poor communication was the main reason for their exit from the Eastern Conference. In private, the Knicks' players and coaching staff expressed dissatisfaction with Towns' defense. Towns changed the screening strategy and rotation methods without authorization in the defense, which frustrated the Knicks.

The author admits that Towns is a center that focuses on offense and down defense, but looking at the centers in the league, they are not good at defending the defensive end, and their huge size makes it difficult for them to keep up with their opponents in speed when facing the number four with mobility. The author believes that when the Knicks came to Towns in trade, the position he gave him was obviously not a defensive force, but wanted to create an internal and external combination of Brunson + Towns, and use Towns' long-range shooting ability to pull up the team's offensive space, so that the team's forward line can have more open opportunities to shoot 3 points. Obviously, from this point of view, Towns successfully and even exceeded the Knicks' requirements. After joining the Knicks, Towns became the pillar of the inside in the regular season, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, ranking second in the league in rebounds. To be honest, after being traded by the Timberwolves, Towns even changed his previous style of playing in the Timberwolves' space-type inside line and moved more to the inside line. This season, Towns averaged 36.2 minutes per game, an average of nearly 4 minutes higher than the Timberwolves' period. Towns' performance was also impressive enough: facing the old owner Timberwolves, he scored 32 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists, and made all three-pointers and 5 shots, becoming the first player in NBA history to achieve "30+20+5 three-point 100% shooting percentage"; against the Heat, he scored 44 points and 13 rebounds; the Bulls had a total of 90 points and 26 rebounds in the two games. In addition, the defense that was once criticized has also completed its transformation. He is no longer the immature center who "eye defense" in his early years. When facing a center of the same type, Towns' performance on the defensive end is completely trustworthy.

The Knicks' playoffs are really Towns's fault? Although the Knicks were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, Towns showed strong offensive explosiveness and key ball ability. Despite the fluctuations in state, his high-level data and field influence still highlight his core value in the Knicks. In the G3 of the Eastern Conference Final, the Knicks fell behind the Pacers by 20 points in the first half, and the bench was silent. Towns scored 20 points and rebounds through 3 points and basket attack in 7 minutes in the last quarter. In this battle, he was like a god of war possessed, smashing the Pacers' defense line, and tied the opponent's team in a single quarter. In the G5 game, when he returned to New York home court, Towns played for 36 minutes with an injury, and made 10 of 20 shots in the game, scoring 24 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, with a positive and negative value of +26, the highest in the team, with 12 points and 7 rebounds in the second quarter to establish the victory. He was tough at the critical moment of the final quarter and dunked to avoid being reversed. To be honest, the Knicks' two victories are closely related to Towns. If it weren't for Towns, the Knicks would have been swept out and would not even be able to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks' real loss is Brunson and Thibodeau, plus the bad locker room culture! Although Brunson scored outstandingly in the series, his excessive holding of the ball was widely questioned by the outside world. At least three NBA celebrities said: It will be difficult for the Knicks to win with Brunson holding the ball like this. Secondly, Brunson's height is insufficient, and history has long proved that it is difficult for short guards to lead the finals in the league. It is easy for opponents to limit him. In addition, on the defensive end, Brunson is easily targeted by his opponents. It is obvious that when Brunson attacks with the ball, the Knicks always lose points. Because he fails to score singles with the ball, he is pushed back and attacked by the Pacers. The Pacers are one of the most powerful teams in the league to attack with the ball; when Towns attacks with the ball frame, the Knicks always win points. When Towns forms a face-to-basket attack mode on the offensive end, his physical advantage is obvious. Even if he fails, he and Miro can get second rebounds in the inside.

Thibodeau is also the culprit for the Knicks's elimination. As early as the regular season, the media criticized Thibodeau's five-donkey tactics countless times and suggested that he increase rotations, but Thibodeau is very stubborn. If he had not lost two home games in a row to the Eastern Conference Finals, Thibodeau would not have changed the team, nor would it have increased rotations, increasing the playing time of Miro, Shamet, McBride and others. In addition, the Knicks are not united internally, and the Villanueva trio (Brunson + Bridges + Hart) prefers interactions between their own people, and they don’t have enough support to Towns. Including Thibodeau, he lacked trust in Towns. He scored 35 points and 12 rebounds in G1, but was hidden by Thibodeau in the final quarter of the G2 game. Towns was indeed very depressed in the Knicks. He has the ability to average 30 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals.

It is hard not to suspect that it is player bullying. At least in today's playoffs, Towns' defense is not the direct reason for the Knicks' loss to the Eastern Conference Finals. Towns' strong output on the offensive end is the reason why the Knicks were not swept by the Pacers. Personally, I think the Knicks attributed the reason for this round of losing to Towns' defense, which is obviously a buck-shifting behavior. At the same time, the Knicks should reflect more: Why is Towns, who has the highest offensive efficiency in the team, not having the ball rights in the team? Speaking of this, the author suddenly thought of Randall talking about the Knicks' locker room atmosphere before. He said bluntly: Playing in the Knicks is very depressing. In addition to the game, you also need to pay attention to things other than basketball.. At this time, I suddenly realized that Randall refers to the Knicks players building small groups and bullying! For Towns, take the initiative to leave. The Knicks are Brunson's team. If you don't have your place here, you are destined to be respected.