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Feb 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown directs his team against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Mike Brown Still Believes Knicks Can Win It All

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Feb 27, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks are rapidly approaching the final quarter of their regular season schedule, and despite the expectations ladled on the franchise from playoff pushes past, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan who's proud and confident in this squad's chances at surpassing, let alone matching, last season's Eastern Conference Finals finish.

The rest of their conference has either caught up to the Knicks or left them in the rearview mirror, with underdogs like the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics each prevailing as token frontrunners of the 2025-26 eastern landscape. Every time the Knicks have had a chance to look like a top dog over the first few months of 2026, they've looked a step slower and worse than those rivals, continually attributing a lack of rotational continuity or some other excuse for their inability to meet the moment.

This is where Mike Brown has to come in and whip his Knicks into championship shape over the last two-dozen games. He's seen fruitful postseason runs and championship wins alike between his time split as the Cleveland Cavaliers' head coach during LeBron James' first stint before retreating to the Golden State Warriors to enjoy the Stephen Curry show as a chief assistant, and though he asserts that New York remains in contending shape, they can't afford to lose sight of the values he's attempting to press.

Golden State Warriors Forward Draymond Green and New York Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

"There are things that have to go right," he admitted. "You got to be playing your best basketball. You have to be connected. The things that I talk about. You got to sacrifice. If you got guys on your team that aren’t sacrificing, you could be in trouble, because it’ll mess with your connectivity, which is huge.

"You got to have a competitive spirit. You got to want to compete every night. And you’ve got to believe. You’ve got to keep believing. Even when things are going bad. Even when you go through stretches of 2–7 or 2–9. You got to believe not just in the process — because it is a process — but you got to believe in each other.“

Leaning Into the Knicks' Strengths

The "process" that he mentioned still remains anonymous in the eyes of outsiders, however, with the stars leading the Knicks' charge continually unable to play winning ball together. Jalen Brunson is shooting slightly too often amidst his mini-slump, necessitating the coaching staff to prioritize Karl-Anthony Towns as a lineup centerpiece and possession protagonist. He's still waiting for that shift, and as are the fans.

New York Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown and Guard Jalen Brunson Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

That could factor into Brown's pleas for his players to continue sacrificing and starring within their roles, a storylines that's loomed large over the rocky season of expectations. He insisted on accountability and finishing the season with momentum in explaining his approach to his preparation for the playoffs.

“Everything is geared toward being your best toward the end of the season and going into the playoffs and hopefully throughout that run," he said. "I’ve never been a guy who put stocks in everything and it’s the end of the world if it doesn’t happen in this game. That’s not life in general. Things are going to average out to however they need to at the right time. And hopefully after 70 games or whatever it is, you feel pretty good where you are going into that postseason.”

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

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