Knicks head coach Mike Brown likes to carry an iPad with him. On that iPad, Brown’s go-to channel is HGTV. His favorite show? House Hunters — not the regular one: either House Hunters International or Beach House Renovation.
“For me, it just takes me away from what I’m doing,” he said ahead of tipoff in a pivotal Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. “For me, the best way is to ignore the noise, even if we’re doing good. Because I’m human.”
Brown has accounts on X and Instagram, but he doesn’t use them. He doesn’t watch ESPN. He doesn’t tweet or post on Instagram. He does his best to ignore the noise — good or bad.
“It won’t do me any good to read or listen to any of it,” he said.
Brown doesn’t need social media to understand the opportunity at his fingertips. Because the Eastern Conference is as wide-open as it was advertised at the beginning of the season. And in an open conference, the Knicks are rising to the top. They are in the driver’s seat in an open lane. The rest of the East is sorting its affairs.
To take stock: The Detroit Pistons are on the brink of a first-round playoff collapse, courtesy of the Orlando Magic, who’ve surprisingly taken a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Boston Celtics owned a 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers before holding a 16-point L on Tuesday. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors are tied at two games apiece, with a pivotal Game 5 looming on Wednesday.
And then there are the Knicks, who fell behind, 1-2, in their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks before stringing together back-to-back double-digit victories, the most recent coming in a 126-97 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
At this rate, the Knicks are on a second-round collision course with the Celtics, a Round 2 rematch from last year’s stunner: the Knicks came back from consecutive 20-point deficits before finishing the Celtics in six following Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles.
Whoever wins that series, provided the two teams make it there, is the strong favorite to win the East, which means if the Knicks handle business, they’ll be on pace to roll all the way to the NBA Finals, the franchise’s first appearance since 1999.
For them to do so, they’ll need to be much more efficient on the defensive end in the second round. Because the Celtics, provided they close-out the 76ers, have the kind of shooters the Hawks don’t. They have battle-tested franchise cornerstones unlike the Hawks, whose best player — Jalen Johnson — has succumbed to the butterflies of a first-ever playoff appearance.
Atlanta shot 13-of-42 from 3-point range in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Hawks shot 10-of-41 in Game 4, a respectable 13-of-33 in Game 3, 9-of-30 in Game 2 and 14-of-37 from deep in Game 1. Coincidentally, the Hawks’ two victories this series came in the only games they converted at a decent rate from downtown.
And Johnson, who averaged a near triple double in a breakout season in Atlanta, shot 41.9% from the field through the first four games. On Tuesday, he finished the night minus-18. That won’t happen against Boston. The Celtics are out for the very blood they gave the Knicks last year.
A reminder: The Celtics ranked third in 3-pointers made and fourth in 3s attempted during the regular season, while the Knicks were bottom-10 in opponent 3-pointers made during the season and 11th in opponent 3-point percentage.
The Celtics have also been one of the more consistent teams in all of basketball, securing the East’s No. 2 seed despite a series of roster moves in the wake of Tatum’s unfortunate Achilles injury. This was supposed to be a gap year in Boston. Instead, they are trying to leapfrog the Knicks in the race to the NBA Finals.
If these Knicks show up — the same Knicks who’ve made a mockery of the Hawks over the last two games — the series could be an encore performance from last season.
These Knicks run offense through Karl-Anthony Towns, who flirted with another triple-double before finishing with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists on the night. These Knicks don’t sit around and watch Jalen Brunson pound the ball into oblivion. Brunson finished with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field, but his looks weren’t as difficult. He’s evolving on the fly.
The Knicks of the last two games don’t look anything like the Knicks of Games 2 and 3. These Knicks look more complete, more willing to sacrifice for one another.
Only one question remains: Is this the Knicks team that will show up every night? Will these Knicks stick to the process when the competition stiffens in the second round?
Let’s not put the cart before the horse. These Knicks still need to close the Hawks out in hostile territory in Game 6. Otherwise, it’s win-or-go-home back at MSG. And under the pressure of a Game 7, there’s no telling what will happen.
