Knicks' Miles McBride Gets Brutally Honest About NBA's Losing Culture

Miles McBride just finished the best season of his career, and it ended with a parade through Manhattan.

The 25-year-old guard played a real role in the Knicks' first championship in more than five decades, giving them a career-best scoring year before their run through the playoffs.

Winning at that level has apparently sharpened his view of the rest of the league, because in a recent interview the man they call Deuce took direct aim at how the NBA treats losing, and he did not soften any of it.

"Honestly, I think it's the NBA's fault because we reward guys that don't win. We reward guys that lose and pay guys that lose, truthfully," McBride said. "I think the NBA has got to do a better job of rewarding winning."

Strong words from a player who has lived both sides.

McBride arrived as a second-round pick on a Knicks team still searching for its identity, then watched the roster grow into a champion under first-year coach Mike Brown.

He argued that most players simply cannot comprehend accepting a lesser role after spending their whole lives as the best player on every team they touched, which is exactly why he believes the champions stood apart.

New York went 53-29 before losing just three games across the entire postseason, finishing the job against San Antonio in five, and even Karl-Anthony Towns responded to beating Wemby in the NBA Finals.

McBride pointed to Towns as proof of what buying in looks like, praising a star who accepted a smaller offensive role for the good of the group.

"I think if more guys bought in and understood their roles, the NBA would look a lot different," he said in the same interview.

The numbers back him up, since Towns averaged over 20 points and nearly 12 rebounds while taking fewer shots than the year before, and the team's balanced scoring across four starters showed a roster that stopped caring who got credit.

Jalen Brunson set that tone years ago with his pay cut, and he clearly believes the group has more in it, as he shared when discussing the Knicks' chances to repeat.

McBride earned the right to talk about winning habits.

He averaged 12 points per game while shooting 41.3 percent from three in the regular season, fighting back from February core muscle surgery to contribute in 19 playoff games.

He remains on one of the most team-friendly contracts in basketball through next season, which gives his praise of sacrifice some extra credibility.

Teammate Jalen Brunson is currently recovering from wrist surgery after playing through the injury during the title run.

Even LeBron James took notice of this group, as he explained when revealing the biggest difference he saw from the championship Knicks.

The defending champs open next season with a culture other teams keep studying.