Mike Brown’s new offense sounded nice on paper.
However contained in the Knicks’ apply facility in Tarrytown throughout coaching camp, there was nonetheless quiet uncertainty about how his up-tempo, read-and-react system would mesh with a roster constructed round established stars and structured habits.
One sport in, these doubts are fading quick. Brown’s West Coast offense and this roster of shooters and playmakers already seem like a pure match.
The Knicks opened their season with a 119–111 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night time at Madison Sq. Backyard, and for the primary time in years, their offense seemed fluid — free-flowing, unselfish and unpredictable.
“It’s been great,” stated Miles McBride, who scored 15 factors on 4-of-7 capturing from downtown off the bench in opposition to the Cavs. “I feel like we have a lot of different guys involved in actions, not necessarily scoring but just involved in actions, touching the screen, just body movement and player movement. A lot of guys out there benefitting.”
The ball didn’t stick. As a substitute it moved. It zipped. It hopped from one aspect of the ground to the opposite. For giant stretches, New York performed with the form of tempo and spacing trendy contenders thrive on — a stark departure from the isolation-heavy identification that outlined the Tom Thibodeau period.
And the outcomes have been instant.
On opening night time final season, the Boston Celtics ran the Knicks off the ground through an avalanche of threes at TD Backyard that served as each a press release and a reminder of how far New York nonetheless needed to go.
This time, the roles reversed: A Knicks staff nonetheless studying Brown’s ideas out-executed a Cleveland squad that gained 64 video games a yr in the past — the identical Cavaliers who swept New York, 4–0, in final season’s regular-season sequence.
And the victory carried much more weight contemplating the circumstances.
Jalen Brunson struggled by a poor capturing night time — 5-of-18 from the sector and 1-of-9 from deep — but nonetheless managed 23 factors and 5 assists because the offense hummed round him. The Knicks led by as many as 15 regardless of lacking two key rotation gamers in beginning heart Mitchell Robinson (ankle, load administration) and sixth man Josh Hart (lumbar spasms) and so they have been in a position to maintain their lead in minutes Brunson spent on the bench within the second half.
Cleveland wasn’t at full energy, down start line guard Darius Garland, sixth man De’Andre Hunter and wing Max Strus — however that didn’t make the Knicks’ efficiency any much less convincing, although Brunson, all the time level-headed, doesn’t wish to get too far forward.
“We have a long way to go. We have a lot to learn, a lot to get better at,” Brunson stated after the victory. “A lot of details to pay attention to, and — let’s just say I’m happy it’s Game 1.”
One other huge change underneath Brown? The sheer quantity of threes.
It’s a essential — and lengthy overdue — shift for a roster loaded with shooters. The Knicks fired up 40 makes an attempt from deep on opening night time, connecting on 14. That’s a welcome sight for a staff that ranked bottom-five in three-point makes an attempt final season at simply over 34 per sport underneath Thibodeau.
For Brown, the main focus wasn’t simply on makes or misses, however on how these seems have been created.
“We had 21 sprays. We want to get to at least 20 a game where we touch that paint — because any time you touch the paint, good teams, they’ve got to protect the paint. But now those wide-open shots happen and I think we can even generate even more,” Brown stated. “I think we can generate 25 or 27 a game because we have that many players, in my opinion, that are capable of shooting the ball, snap-driving, touching the paint and moving it on when they need to off of two feet.”
That is solely the start for a staff nonetheless miles from its ceiling.
Robinson and Hart stay important to the Knicks’ blueprint, and each are nicely not on time after lacking most of coaching camp and the preseason.
Brown warned weeks in the past that issues may get ugly on the courtroom earlier than they seemed like a purposeful staff, that progress would include rising pains. However even then, he made an commentary that hinted at quiet optimism: his staff was additional alongside on each ends than he anticipated at a number of factors throughout camp.
Possibly he was proper. Possibly this group actually is forward of schedule after a whole philosophical overhaul. Possibly Brown’s system and this roster are, actually, a pure match.
Or possibly it’s nonetheless too early to say.
For now, the Knicks aren’t trying too far forward — but it surely’s clear they’ve loads to look ahead to.
“Yeah, take it day by day. That’s all we’re thinking about,” Bridges stated. “We’re not thinking about nothing else but what tomorrow is gonna look like. Are we gonna learn from this? Happy we can learn from a win and then we got Friday. So that’s how we think. Just take it day by day and game by game.”
