On Saturday, the Indian Pacers picked up the Game 6 win in the Eastern Conference Finals, finishing off the New York Knicks’ season and dashing any hopes of winning its first championship in 50 years. But despite the loss, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson feels strongly that this group can take it all the way next year.
Postgame, Brunson was asked if he believed that this Knicks team could make a championship run next season. In his response, the guard was incredibly clear about his faith in the team.
“The most confidence. Overconfident. Seriously,” he said. “There’s not an ounce of any type of doubt that I’m not confident with this group.”
Brunson gave it everything he got, averaging 33 points and 33:50 minutes per game throughout the series against the Pacers. Throughout the playoffs as a whole, Brunson averaged 30.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, seven assists and 37:59 minutes per game.
But the ECF loss was, on the whole, a disappointing ending for a Knicks team that had so much potential. New York made a number of key offseason moves to build a strong contender heading into the 2024-25 season. The team re-signed starting forward OG Anunoby, the second most expensive player on the team, to a new 5-year, $212.5 million extension in July. In September, the Knicks sent Julius Randle, a three-time All-Star, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, receiving veteran center Karl-Anthony Towns in return as part of a three-team trade.
While neither the Pacers or the Thunder had to pay the luxury tax this season, the Knicks did put a lot of money on the line. New York had the fourth-highest payroll in the league with $188,877,651, going more than $18 million over the tax threshhold. Towns was the most expensive player on the team, earning $49.2 million this season; Anunoby was the second most expensive, earning $36.6 million this year.
Along with Mikal Bridges, the team’s four star starters all had good seasons: Brunson lead the team, averaging 26 points per game, while Towns averaged a double-double. Anunoby and Bridges both averaged double-digit points, while putting up more than 36 minutes per game.
The Knicks finished third in the East with a 51-31 record, and got well-fought series wins over the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics in the postseason before falling to the Pacers.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough. New York will once again be watching the NBA Finals from home. Still, though, if you take Brunson’s word for it: There’s always next year.
Read the full article here