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The New York Knicks opened the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 137-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, but head coach Mike Brown pointed to defensive discipline as a key concern.
“It’s a good game by our guys, we have to be better with our fouling,” Brown said postgame. “We can’t expect them to shoot 34 and they doubled us in free-throw attempts.”
Despite the 39-point margin, the Knicks allowed 34 free-throw attempts, something Brown emphasized repeatedly. “We can’t expect them to go to the free-throw line 34 times and us to get a win the way we did,” he said. “So we have to be better keeping them off the free-throw line.”
New York’s offense carried the night, shooting 63% from the field with 34 assists on 53 made baskets. Brown highlighted efficiency across the lineup.
“Offensively our guys were really good,” he said. “All of our guys were really efficient from the floor, Jalen with the 35. OG on eight shots he gets 18 points. KAT gets 17 points on 11 shots. Mikal gets 17 points on 10 shots.”
Ball movement and spacing defined the Knicks’ approach, especially with Jalen Brunson orchestrating. “Jalen was really good as the head of the snake,” Brown said. “But the guys behind it setting the screen, making sure we’re spaced the right way, being ready to make a quick decision… that was all really good.”
Brown also credited execution within offensive concepts rather than play-calling. “It’s a lot of fun when you have concepts on either end of the floor and guys are trying to embrace those concepts at the highest level,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter what you call or who initiates the action because guys are trying to play the right way.”
Defensively, the Knicks focused on limiting Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey without excessive fouling. “You’re not going to stop a guy like Joel or Maxey,” Brown said. “You just hopefully make them work without fouling them.”
He pointed to bench contributions, specifically Ariel Hukporti, who stepped in during foul trouble. “Ariel came off the bench and he wasn’t expected to play obviously and he did a solid job,” Brown said. “Ariel did a pretty good job in that area.”
Effort metrics also stood out, particularly hustle plays. “One of the signs to see how hard we’re playing is when it comes to 50/50 balls,” Brown said. “There were 16 of them out there and our guys got 14 of them.”
The Knicks have now won four straight playoff games by a combined 135 points, including three consecutive wins by at least 25 — an NBA postseason first.
“I can’t deny it, our guys are playing pretty good basketball,” Brown said. “They are trying to focus on the details no matter what the score is.”
Still, Brown kept the focus forward with Game 2 approaching. “When you’re in the playoffs, there are a lot of things that have to go right for you,” he said. “Hopefully you’re trending the right way at the right time.”
