When the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau last summer, the basketball world was shocked. Thibs had transformed Knicks basketball, dragging a franchise that had been irrelevant (for many years) back into genuine contention — culminating in their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000. But the front office saw a ceiling. Complaints about his relentless minute loads and rigid rotations had been building for years, and after falling to the Indiana Pacers in six games, New York made a painful but calculated decision. Enter Mike Brown, two-time NBA Coach of the Year and four-time championship winner, as an assistant.
High Expectations
When Mike Brown was hired, many questioned whether he was truly the guy to push the Knicks over the top — after all, he’d been fired mid-season in Sacramento just months earlier. But Brown has done more than silence the doubters. He guided New York to their first-ever NBA Cup title in December, taking down the Spurs 124-113 in Las Vegas, and led them to the No. 3 seed in the East. Now, through two rounds of playoff basketball, this team has only gotten sharper.
Statistically, they are the best team in the playoffs. Setting playoff records for most threes in a quarter (11/13!!!), most points in a playoff half (84), and have won back-to-back closeout games by over 30 points. The Knicks are elite, and the rest of the league should be scared.
Knicks vs Spurs/Thunder seems inevitable at this point!
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