Mike Brown Urges Knicks Discipline As Playoffs Turn Physical

Mike Brown said the Knicks are dealing with a playoff level that is "a lot more physical" than the regular season, and he wants them to stay disciplined enough to avoid losing anyone to a suspension. He also said the group has to keep finding ways to put players in the best possible position to win.

Brown on playoff physicality

"The playoffs are a lot more physical than the regular season," Brown said, adding, "Stuff happens." He said, "Everybody is human, we just have to keep making sure that for us we don’t do anything that costs us the rest of that game or the next game."

That warning carried into his next line. "It’s extremely important in that situation to not have anything result in a future suspension or anything like this," he said, framing discipline as part of the Knicks’ job once the games get tighter and the contact rises.

Knicks bench and lineup

Brown said the entire Knicks bench was on the sidelines during the situation he described. He also said the team has to keep trying different ways to maximize its rotation, including a double-big look with Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor together.

That alignment gave New York another option as the series unfolded. Brown said the Knicks started to figure out how to use it as the matchup went along, and he pointed to the Atlanta series as part of that process.

Atlanta and MSG East

Brown said Atlanta helped the Knicks get better. "They helped us get better," he said. "We do feel like Atlanta helped us get better, and we’re in a better spot now because of them."

The series also carried a loud edge. The last time the Knicks played, it felt like "MSG East," and Brown described the group as "resilient, connected, sacrificial, competitive, and believing in the playoffs." He added, "The connectedness that this group has is similar."

For the Knicks, the practical takeaway is simple: keep the edge, avoid the kind of incident that can lead to a suspension, and keep leaning on the lineup combinations that Brown says have already made them better against Atlanta.