New York rediscovers ‘true process’, hammers Nets

NEW YORK – The New Year seemingly brought the worst New York Knicks. The team ended its rollercoaster run in 2025 with an NBA Cup championship, which should have confirmed their postseason title hopes. Perhaps instead it gave way to a momentary feeling that they had proven all they needed to.

It’s no surprise that the team put ended his four-game losing streak in his first game after admitting his post-Cup comfort level was an issue. Acceptance is the first step to solving a problem. The schedule brought them the Brooklyn Nets as a reward, a power forward of a team that wants to lose.

It was surprising to see the Knicks reverse course so dramatically in one game. They came out energized from the opening tip, moving the ball at a brisk pace and covering each other with gusto. That wasn’t enough for Brown. He took two timeouts in the first quarter before Nets coach Jordi Fernandez could use any of his own.

The Knicks won the opening period 38-20 and led 60-38 at halftime. They won the game 120-66, the largest margin of victory in franchise history. Head coach Mike Brownas always, more concerned with the journey than the destination.

“Obviously we’ve had some struggles. And I’ll keep saying this, but this might not be the last time we struggle for the year. I don’t know. But what it continues to show us is if we play the right way, the things I mentioned, it doesn’t matter who’s in front of us. We’ll be able to find ways to win about your process, but it’s more than anything else. Embrace the process, good things will happen to you long term,” Brown told reporters after Wednesday’s game.

The Knicks hired Mike Brown for a “process over results” approach.

New York did not undergo an offseason coaching change as its first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years fell short. This was because the procedures that got them there were considered suboptimal. That was clearly unsatisfactory for a team with championship aspirations in the era of data and information.

Brown’s commitment to maximizing its staff is a meticulous obsession, even as the team struggles to find its footing. Even in the midst of a losing streak, the coach is still testing new lineup combinations. On Wednesday, the focus was on falling in love with the “little things” all over again. The coach said he could hear the difference.

“I would say defensively, one of the things we talked about with our guys was to communicate. And their communication was off the charts. Every time down there, something happened defensively, I heard it from my seat. It’s just guys talking, trying to help each other on that end of the floor. … Guys knew what their responsibility was to communicate on the back end because they had five to communicate on the back end. moved, we all moved, which put us in a position to help in closing.”

Return from Landry ShametJosh Hart and Deuce McBride from injury have left the Browns with all eight of their most important players healthy at the same time. He’s still tinkering. It will be difficult to fully assess that work until the postseason, when it can pay dividends that hired him.

The Knicks’ next game is against the Philadelphia 76ers, who had won just three games less than their division rivals heading into Wednesday. If the regular season ended today, New York and Philadelphia would be positioned for a rematch of the first round of the playoffs in 2024. Brown’s group needed a reset against the Nets; The 76ers’ talent is a great next test.

Landry Shamet goes 6-of-6 on a perfect 3-point shooting night

Shamet missed 30 games when he re-injured the shoulder that kept him out for several months last season. That included the entire team in the NBA Cup. A veteran returned against the Golden State Warriorsshooting 3-13 on 3-pointers in his first three games back.

On Wednesday, Shamet made up for lost time with a great success from the center. He was a perfect 6-of-6 in just 15 minutes of action, adding two assists, two steals and a block. The performance earned him plenty of praise after the game from the Browns.

“Obviously, we missed his pace … you can see when he’s going from point A to point B, it’s on the force. And then when he catches, because of that movement that he works on the force, and he makes quick decisions, he gets to the paint. And the defense has to respond, because he’s a better athlete than most people think. You know, he played, he played point guard, so he did a great job in college. big responses to us making great passes, or great splashes, with our ball movement tonight”, the coach told the media.

Shamet is one of the leaders of the team on the field considering baking and effortalong with Hart, McBride and Mitchell Robinson. Suns coach Jordan Ott praised him over the weekend for the speed he uses to wear down defenders during games.

If there was one downside to the Knicks’ historic win, it was the resurgence of Karl-Anthony Towns’ potentially most frustrating problem in years. The center has led the entire league in offense for two straight seasons and is on track for a third.

On Wednesday, officials he whistled Towns for two offensive fouls in the span of 45 seconds. Both drove to the basket when they judged Towns to have initiated contact by hooking the defender’s hands in an attempt to trap. Brunson told reporters in December that he the team spoke Towns about the fouls, telling him to “do a better job of not using your hand.” Brown made it clear after beating the Nets that he has faith in the center to figure things out. He even subtly challenged the officials, implying calls against Towns are misinterpretations of those plays.

“KAT’s a smart guy. He knows great players make adjustments. And he is and he’s going to continue to adjust his game. We want him to continue to be aggressive. And if he feels like he’s getting hit early, hopefully the officials will do a better job of calling the first error instead of the second, which is a lot of times when people adjust to great players, and KAT is sure. He got called for two tonight, he hasn’t been called for a while, so I think good things will happen for him going forward.”