Mike Brown Does His Best Tom Thibodeau Impression in Knicks Win Over Hawks

Knicks coach Mike Brown (left) needs to be better moving forward for the Knicks to advance. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Ultimately, the Knicks' talent was too much for the Hawks. It shone through during a dominant second half that had Knicks fans celebrating along 34th Street as if they had just been given free pizza and bagels for life. 

For the more astute observer, what they really got was Mike Brown doing his best Tom Thibodeau impression. He failed—this time. 

Talent discrepancy played the biggest role. Playoff experience was there too. But the underbelly of the Knicks' 113-102 win in Game 1 of their opening-round series against the Hawks should raise some alarm bells. 

No, this isn’t DEFCON 1. But let’s not act like the Knicks are ready for a ride down the Canyon of Heroes. They’re still a long way from even eclipsing what Thibodeau helped them accomplish last year.   

After the Knicks took a 106-87 lead on a Towns  3-pointer with 4:36 left in the fourth, their offense sputtered. We can make excuses for disengagement with an insurmountable lead. But for a team made up of the same players who choked away several similar advantages last year, I was focused on those last few minutes to see what they would do. 

They reverted to a pumpkin. 

Missed free throws. Turnovers. Jacked up threes with the shot clock expiring. Uninspired defense. It had all the calling cards of the 2025 Knicks. 

When the Hawks cut the lead to eight points (106-98) with 1:39 remaining and Brown called a timeout, I wondered what kind of play he would draw up to get the Knicks back in rhythm. It was a Jalen Brunson iso ending with a missed 18-foot pull-up. 

It doesn’t get any more Thibodeau than that. 

The Knicks dodged a bullet when Jalen Johnson missed a deep three-point attempt on the ensuing possession and the Hawks were forced to foul from there. But those three minutes and thirty-six seconds of ineptitude won’t cut it against the Celtics or Pistons. It barely worked against the Hawks, whose best player, Johnson, was making his first impactful playoff start on Saturday. 

Knicks fans should enjoy this win. It was hard fought. The Hawks were everything they were predicted to be – young, hungry, scrappy, giving nothing away for free. The Knicks played strong defense most of the second half and had moments of dominant offensive playmaking. Brunson started it. Towns finished it. They’re All-Stars for a reason. 

Against the top two teams in the East, their closing-time performance won’t cut it. They need to be better. Brown needs to be better. Or they’ll suffer the same fate they did last year when Thibodeau was in charge.