Mike Brown has been vocal about his disappointment with the Knicks’ tendency to argue with referees lately.
However, after their 123-114 victory against the Trail Blazers on Sunday, his perspective seemed to change a bit.
“I think our players did an excellent job officiating,” the head coach stated. “I always remind the players that it’s up to us, not the referees, to determine the outcome of the game. Sure, sometimes calls go in our favor, and sometimes they don’t. But if we focus on our roles, there’s a good chance we come out on top. You have to keep your composure. I mean, there were moments when the fouls were quite lopsided, like 6-for-16, but getting into arguments with officials just distracts from our game. So, kudos to everyone for staying focused.”
“I’ve been chatting with the veterans like Jalen and Josh. I mean, it really starts with them. They need to set the tone and let the rest of the team follow. I thought our players handled that really well tonight.”
Post-game, Coach Brown highlighted the team’s defensive performance in the fourth quarter, an area that had been problematic recently.
“Getting a stop feels good; it can really shift the momentum,” Brown remarked. “A solid stop builds confidence individually. When you manage to get a stop and then run with it—especially if it leads to a good transition look—it can really drain the energy from your opponent. So, it was critical for us to execute that. We had some significant stops in the fourth quarter and capitalized on them.”
On the turnover front, the Knicks kept it down to just 12 on Sunday—one of their better performances of the season.
“We discussed it during halftime,” Brown noted. “Stopping them from transitioning was key. They had 20 fast break points in the first half, largely because of our turnovers. But we managed to tighten things up in the second half, limiting their fast break opportunities to just seven in that period.”
