Knicks Were Unhappy With Mike Brown’s Draymond Green Love

The hugs arrived at a terrible time. New York came into the Warriors game already struggling, having lost six of their previous eight contests. The defeat marked their seventh loss in nine games and dropped them to 25-16. Playing without Jalen Brunson, who had sprained his ankle the night before in Sacramento, the Knicks looked lifeless on the second night of a back-to-back.

Things only got worse from there. They followed the Warriors loss with a home defeat to Phoenix on January 17, then suffered an embarrassing 114-97 blowout to a shorthanded Dallas team on MLK Day. Madison Square Garden fans booed the team off the court at halftime while trailing by 30 points.

Brunson called a players-only meeting after the Dallas disaster. His message centered on players taking accountability rather than looking to the coaching staff for answers. The extended meeting featured multiple players speaking up about the team's problems during a 2-9 stretch over 11 games.

The Knicks did bounce back with a 54-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 21, though.

Brown's friendly moments with Green now look even worse given the collapse. Towns has largely struggled throughout January, getting outplayed by opposing big men, including Green. Brown has publicly criticized Towns multiple times, questioning his effort and decision-making. That makes the warm embraces with Green, who had just committed a dangerous foul on Towns, harder for players to accept.

The Knicks sit at 26-18, still third in the Eastern Conference but only two games ahead of the seventh seed. They started the season 23-9 and won the NBA Cup in December. Their January freefall has them dangerously close to the play-in tournament while their offense ranks bottom-five in the league this month.