Sep 23, 2025; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown speaks to the media during a media day press conference at the Madison Square Garden training center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mike Brown Will Make or Break Knicks

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks are hoping to generate different results this season by swapping out head coach Tom Thibodeau for Mike Brown.

It isn't the only change the Knicks are making, but it certainly is the most significant. ESPN insider Tim Bontemps listed Brown as one of 10 people that could define the NBA season.

"When you fire a coach after he led your team to playoff victories in three consecutive seasons for the first time in a generation and to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in a quarter century, it's clear what the expectations are for his successor," Bontemps wrote.

"That's the situation Brown has walked into after replacing Tom Thibodeau this summer. And while Brown has repeatedly said, including at last week's media day, that "no one has higher expectations than he does," that's not exactly true."

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson gestures after making a three point basket as Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic David Banks-Imagn Images

The Knicks are looking to make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 and the franchise is counting on Brown to be the coach that gets them there.

Now that the Knicks have reached the Eastern Conference Finals, they are officially looking at a season where it should be deemed a failure if they don't reach the NBA Finals.

"There's a unique symbiosis between the Knicks and their fans, who have been waiting more than half a century to snap their championship drought. It might be the best chance to do so since the Patrick Ewing-led Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1994. Unlike the past couple of seasons when the Knicks surpassed relatively low expectations, a wide-open East could make anything short of a Finals appearance a lost season for New York," Bontemps wrote.

"Brown is no stranger to high-pressure situations. He coached LeBron James to an NBA Finals in 2007, and he was the head coach of the Lakers. But he arguably has never faced the kind of pressure he is under this season -- and no one on his roster has either."

The Knicks believe they have the players in place to win a championship, otherwise they would have made another drastic change on the roster this offseason.

With Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart, the Knicks have a core that can compete with the best of the league.

The question now remains if they are being guided in the right path towards a championship. Thibodeau couldn't get that group there, but Brown has a chance to do what his predecessor couldn't.

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

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