Refusing to fall with his back against the cliff! Bronson is 30+ in Game 10, competing with Jordan Wade

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Kong Dexin

The Knicks played against the Pacers at home in the fifth game. The game was midway through, and the American broadcaster gave a set of data: when Bronson was present in this round, the Knicks lost 11.6 points in a hundred rounds, and when he was not present, the Knicks won 18.1 points in a hundred rounds.

Such stats are embarrassing for any team's core star. Facing the Pacers, the Knicks's effect is better when leading the team alone. In addition to Towns' high personal offensive success rate, the Knicks' outside defense can also be improved after Bronson's exit, which allows them to often have a small climax when Bronson rests. But does that mean Bronson will only drag the Knicks down? The answer is obviously no.

In the third quarter of today's game, the Knicks once led by 20 points, but they and the Pacers have completed five major reversals in this playoffs this year, and no one dared to relax at this moment. Sure enough, the Pacers quickly scored a 12-2 wave to close the score difference to 10 points. Moreover, Towns was in trouble with fouls, Mitchell Robinson was on break again, and the Knicks entered a dangerous small lineup period. Just when the team felt the pressure, Bronson scored twice with his personal ability, and the second time he even scored 3+1 with Toppen, helping the Knicks stabilize their position again. At this critical moment, the key king of the league this season is still the Knicks' most reliable weapon.

"Bronson and Towns set the tone for this game as soon as the game started." Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.

When Bronson was resting in the final quarter, the Pacers' full-game leadership pushed the Knicks to speed up the pace of the game. At that time, the Knicks' main controller was Hart. One of his best weapons on the offensive end of the regular season was conversion and advancement. However, when the Knicks were leading by a big score, Hart began to confront his instinct. The conversions that he wanted to push but did not dare to push were in the end, and the final effect was relatively bad. So the Pacers took the opportunity to narrow the gap to 12 points, and Thibodeau quickly replaced Bronson.

With Bronson, the Knicks have a slowing axis. This defender is one of the best guys in the league to win by rhythm. He has neither a tall body nor excellent startup explosive power, but he can always use rhythm changes and physical confrontation to find a mobile phone. After Bronson came back, the Knicks not only stabilized the pace of the game, but also quickly used Bronson's pick-and-roll to make a subsequent short-swinging offense, helping the team score 4 points in a row, killing the Pacers' counterattack hopes again.

Bronson has shortcomings, but everything he accomplished on the offensive end is still amazing. He made 12 of 18 shots in this game and scored 32 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists very efficiently. This is his 10th time in the playoffs this year to score 30+ in a single game. The last Eastern Conference guard to do this in a single playoffs was Dwyane Wade. Looking at the entire NBA history, there are only 10 guards who can score 30+ in 10 times in a single playoffs, namely Bronson, Alexander, Jordan, Curry, Kobe, Iverson, Wade, Jerry West, Doncic, and Booker.

At the same time, Bronson maintained an average of 30.1 points and 7.0 assists per game in the playoffs this year. NBA history has only been James, Jordan and Jerry West before. Looking back at the NBA playoffs in the past three years, Bronson has performed 30+ in 21 games in a single game, with the most in the same period, surpassing Tatum 19 times, Jokic 18 times and Alexander 17 times. These data are enough to prove the value of Bronson's offensive end.

He needs to show better defensive vitality on more nights and try not to be targeted easily by his opponents, but Bronson's offense is always the Knicks' guarantee. Once his playing time is reduced, or he feels badly, New York's firepower will be in big trouble.