This particular shoe used to be on the other foot. For years, it was the Knicks who ran out of answers before they ran out of clock.
The Knicks of old ran out of legs, ran out of gas and eventually ran out of hope. They operated a predictable offense that devalued the NBA’s most potent shot. They talked about embracing physicality — until it arrived at their doorstep and knocked them off balance.
Those Knicks wanted to contend. They came close. Their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in a quarter-century proved as much. But even then, they never quite looked the part.
Funny what a sneaky-good offseason can do.
What many viewed as a failed — or at least unnecessarily complicated — summer is quietly pushing this franchise toward new heights. A coaching change. Organizational buy-in. A minute series of calculated roster decisions. Together, they’ve lifted a ceiling that once felt fixed at Madison Square Garden.
Mike Brown’s offseason makeover has been a resounding success, largely because his Knicks look nothing like the Knicks of old. The team now representing the Eastern Conference in the 2025 NBA Cup Final is new and improved — built in the image of the very formula that once undid them.
Take Saturday’s semifinal against Orlando.
The Magic leaned on an 11-man rotation in hopes of running the Knicks into the ground, a tactic that has worked against New York in the past. In theory, it should have worked again — especially with the Knicks missing two perimeter pieces in Miles McBride (ankle) and Landry Shamet (shoulder).
Instead, the Knicks flipped the script.
They’re built — literally and figuratively — to weather this storm. Jordan Clarkson shoots first but defends next. Tyler Kolek is playing with growing confidence and freedom. And under Brown’s run-and-run-more mandate, the Knicks are in better shape than they’ve been in years. Brown’s eight-and-a-half-man rotation beat an Orlando team also missing two key players on Saturday.
That’s real depth.
It means 10 or 11 playable bodies when fully healthy — the same kind of depth the Indiana Pacers once used to knock the Knicks out of consecutive playoff series. The difference now? New York’s starting five is more potent than Indiana’s ever was.
“I didn’t know that 90 percent of the points came from our starters,” Karl-Anthony Towns said after the win. “But it was that 10 percent from the bench that really changed the game. When we needed that boost, and [the Magic] were playing well on their run, that was people like Tyler, Mitch, JC, who came in the game and just changed the energy of the game.”
Depth wasn’t the only thorn in the Knicks’ side in recent years. Physicality was another.
Missteps in Detroit, Atlanta, Houston and Orlando painted a consistent picture of a team that struggled to meet moments requiring teeth and toughness. Now, under Brown, the Knicks are hitting first and asking questions later — another mandate built on aggressive on-ball defense and trust that teammates will cover behind it.
“I think our physicality is extremely better,” Josh Hart said after Saturday’s win. “When you’re able to be physical on the perimeter, you’re able to throw teams off what they do and now your defense is more impactful. You can be in passing lanes and do those kinds of things, protect shots at the rim. So I think our physicality is something that’s driving that, and that’s something we have to do.”
The Knicks also had to solve their own internal contradictions.
Their two best players carried reputations as net-negative defenders, and compensating for them had often put the team in a bind. Jalen Brunson’s ball dominance could stall the offense in previous seasons. This year, it hasn’t.
Brunson is getting off the ball quicker. His 5.18 seconds per touch and 4.86 dribbles per touch are both down year over year, and his scoring is up — 28.8 points per game — despite holding the ball less.
Brown is also extracting improved defense from Towns, who is closer to averaging one block per game this season than at any point in his previous three.
“A guy that was just constant with verticalities, trying not to foul, just being big at the rim was KAT. KAT was our Defensive Player of the Game. It was well deserved,” Brown said after the semifinal victory over the Magic. “He’s been playing a lot better on that end of the floor, and he’s got to keep performing at a high level for us defensively in order for us to continue to get wins, especially in environments like today.”
Brown may spend his miles campaigning for Brunson’s MVP case, but his own résumé is beginning to warrant early Coach of the Year consideration.
The Knicks talked the talk before. Under Brown, they’re walking the walk.
“With his new offense and defense, we’re all adjusting, and he’s doing his best to make it easy for us to transition and for us to impact the game,” Towns said. “I think recently we’ve been playing really good basketball, even though we still could be better, the fact that we’re doing this right now, and we’re still learning, but we’re winning games while learning is a testament to the coaching staff and is a testament to these guys in this locker room that are willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to win.”
