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Mike Brown Points Out Knicks' Flaws After Close Nets Win
Mar 17, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown walks onto the court during a timeout in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mike Brown Points Out Knicks' Flaws After Close Nets Win

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jayesh Pagar  |  Last updated Mar 21, 2026 3:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks are 46-25 and sitting third in the Eastern Conference, but their 93-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets on the road was a lot closer than it had any right to be. A shorthanded Nets team on a six-game losing streak nearly pulled it off, and Brown had plenty to say about why.

In the postgame press conference, Brown was asked about calling a timeout early after the Knicks went down 9-3. His answer was about more than just the start.

"I thought we were real lackadaisical with the basketball," he said. "We had some turnovers to start the game. We had 13 turnovers at halftime."

Brown's frustration was clear. The Knicks had been through a rough patch with turnovers earlier this season, and it felt like they were getting a handle on it. Then came 13 in the first half alone.

"And again, I don't know where we rank or all that, or where we sit during the whole year, but I know as of late, for the most part, we've been pretty good in that area, and 13 or 14 is usually what we have for a game," Brown said.

The bigger point Brown was making was about attitude. Sloppy basketball against a bad team is not just a technical problem. It tells the other team something about how seriously you are taking them.

"We had 13 [turnovers] at halftime, and we ended the game with 22, and again, it's not a good ingredient to have when you're trying to get a road win, no matter who you're playing. And if your approach is not what it is and the other team feels it, anybody can get beat at any time on any level, let alone this level."

The Knicks scored a season-low 14 points in the first quarter and trailed 50-44 at halftime. They took control in the third, built a 14-point lead, then went cold and let Brooklyn rip off 17 straight. Jalen Brunson had to drag them home.

Mike Brown Calls Out Knicks Three-Point Defense and Rotations

Brooklyn Nets forward Josh Minott Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Brown was also asked in the press conference about the defensive rotations, specifically how Brooklyn kept finding open threes.

"You've got to give them credit because they knocked shots down," Brown said. "But especially the young kid, Josh Minott, I mean, he had a whale of a game, six for nine from the three-point line."

Brown acknowledged Minott, but that credit came with a caveat. The rotations were not good enough, and some of those looks were on the Knicks.

"Our rotations weren't good," he said. "And there were a couple of times that we stopped playing, I think, trying to get to them and so those are things that we have to definitely clean up."

Minott finished with 22 points off the bench, a career-high six threes for the 23-year-old. The Knicks shot just 8-of-29 from three themselves, and Brown knows broken rotations on that end will cost them against better teams.

The playoffs start in less than a month, and right now, the Knicks are not playing like a third seed.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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