Mike Brown speaks after the New York Knicks advance to the Conference Finals.
The New York Knicks are headed to their first NBA Finals since 1999 after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks made the Eastern Conference Finals last year, but lost in six games to the Indiana Pacers after blowing game one at Madison Square Garden thanks to heroics from Tyrese Haliburton.
Despite a successful season, the Knicks went in a different direction in the offseason, firing Tom Thibodeau despite the ECF appearance and back-to-back 50-win seasons.
They brought in Mike Brown, who led the Sacramento Kings to a playoff appearance in 2023 and won multiple championships with the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach.
The Knicks entered the season with the fourth-best odds to win the NBA Championship at +900. They're now four wins away from cashing in.
Mike Brown Speaks
After game four, Knicks head coach Mike Brown spoke to the media and discussed how he felt when he took the job in the offseason.
"I truly felt that this team was an NBA Finals team," he said. "I felt we had a true opportunity. Some jobs you take, you're like, 'We can get better and maybe make the playoffs.' This one, I felt we legitimately had a chance if we could help them figure it out and the players could stay together during the process, especially if we hit adversity."
Brown said the team and individuals, including himself, hit adversity at different times during the season, but that everyone stuck together and he had belief from day one.
He said there were a lot of people to thank, but it starts with the players.
The Knicks didn't make any major changes in the offseason, bringing back the same core five of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Championship Belief
Though Mike Brown, the Knicks, and their fans may have always believed, the Knicks showed some inconsistencies throughout the season that led to plenty of questions.
Their defense was shaky at times, their offense could stagnate, and they had rough stretches that any team is prone to over the course of an 82-game season.
Winning the NBA Cup and beating the San Antonio Spurs in the Cup Championship showed that the Knicks could be competitive with anyone in a high-pressure situation, though winning the NBA Cup hasn't translated to playoff success in the past.
Playoff success is typically a mix of peaking at the right time with chemistry, being battle-tested, and catching breaks.
The Knicks came together when it mattered most, learned from the playoff failure against the Pacers, and had home court advantage in every round despite being a three seed, thanks to some seven-game upsets in the first two rounds.
