Knicks' Mike Brown Makes Surprising Comment Amid NBA Playoffs Series Deficit vs. Hawks
The New York Knicks find themselves down two games to one against the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round playoff series after back-to-back one-point losses, including a 109-108 defeat on Saturday in Game 3.
Afterward, Knicks head coach Mike Brown spoke a bit about how his team is still in it despite being down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, although one of his phrases amid his remarks appeared to have raised eyebrows.
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"I told them it's a seven-game series for a reason," Brown said, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. "Stuff is going to happen. There are plenty of teams that have been 1-2. I even think OKC was down 1-2 last year. I'm not saying we're going to win it, but you take one game at a time. This should sting because we gave ourselves a chance despite not playing our best basketball."
On one end, Brown seemed to be downplaying his own analogy comparing his team's plight to that of the 2024-25 NBA champions, in that he didn't want to be taken out of context and come off implying that New York was going to win the championship.
On the other end, one can't help but seriously wonder about this team's mindset, confidence and morale right now after two brutal defeats.
New York led the Hawks 91-79 going into the fourth quarter of Game 2 but scored just 15 points in the fourth. Hawks guard C.J. McCollum hit the game-winner. The Knicks had a chance for the win, but Mikal Bridges baseline shot was no good.
New York faced a much tougher plight on Thursday, with the Hawks leading by as many as 18 points. However, the Knicks fought back and even took a 108-105 lead with a minute left after Jalen Brunson's three-point play.
The last minute went about as poorly as possible. Hawks forward Jalen Johnson missed a layup, Knicks guard Josh Hart missed a three and McCollum hit another game-winner for a 109-108 lead. The Knicks had possession with time winding down, but a Brunson pass went awry, ending the game.
The Knicks entered this season with championship aspirations. While the road to the playoffs has been bumpy at times, they still won 53 games and earned the No. 3 seed. However, they are looking at the possibility of going home early against the upstart No. 6 seed Hawks, who went 18-2 over a 20-game stretch late in the season to make the playoffs.
Game 4 is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. in Atlanta.
