Why Mike Brown isn’t worried about regular-season adversity after his third straight loss

The The New York Knicks dropped their second straight contest as the Philadelphia 76ers won 130-119 on the road at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, and head coach Mike Brown he didn’t mince words when all was said and done.

“We’re in an area that we’re not used to, where you run into a little bit of trouble,” Brown told reporters after the game. “I’ve never been part of a team that didn’t go through adversity during the year, whether we won it at the end of the season, or we were in the finals, or we had a halfway decent season. Every team will hit that.”

“Now for us it’s about: How do we respond? How do we get out of it? This is a great opportunity to see what we’re made of as we go through this stretch.”

The loss marked the Knicks’ third straight loss and just their fourth at home this season. Despite getting 31 points from Jalen Brunson and Myles McBride’s 20 points off the bench, New York couldn’t match Philadelphia’s intensity on this particular occasion.

The Knicks struggled to stifle Philadelphia’s stars

The 76ers received stellar performances from Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. The trio combined for 88 points, and each contributed significantly. Maxi recorded 36 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Edgecombe had 26 points, two rebounds and four assists.

Philadelphia’s most satisfied player may have been Embiid, who had 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against his former foe in the playoffs.

“I love being here. It’s my favorite place in the whole world,” Embiid told Howie Kusoy of the New York Post. “It’s always good to be here, talk to the fans. They were quiet today. I guess that’s what happens when you lose the whole game. I had fun going back and forth with them. Sometimes it’s good to be loved. Sometimes it’s good to be hated.”

The Knicks must become a better defensive unit

When asked about the team’s performance, the Knicks thrive Mikal Bridges offered a mature solution that might be easier to state but execute.

“I think it’s just effort. The initial effort might be there, but I think I’m just playing after. The second effort, I don’t think, is there,” Bridges told SNI after the competition.

The 76ers earned nine offensive rebounds, 54 points and led in over 80 percent of the contest. The Knicks may have enjoyed prosperous stretches on offense, but at no point did they completely shut them down.

New York is now 23-12 on the season and will face the Detroit Pistons on Monday. When asked how the group can recover and get back into shape, Brunson said yes likely to excite fans and quiet doubters alike.

“We stick together,” Brunson told Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “Not pointing fingers, not feeling sorry for ourselves or trying to find a quick fix instead of working on it for the long term. Just looking after each other, I think that’s the most important thing.”

The Knicks have proven they can be one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams at their best, but the ultimate test of their potential could be how they respond to one of their worst stretches of the season. While the current core has proven they can compete come spring, there may be another level they need to reach before they reach athletic the ultimate prize.

“Objectively, we just have to be healthier and have each other’s backs,” Brunson told SNI after the game. “Things aren’t going to be perfect, but we have to be able to look out for each other when things go wrong.”