{"id":1982149,"date":"2026-06-10T10:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T07:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1982149"},"modified":"2026-06-10T10:00:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T07:00:58","slug":"despite-deflating-defeat-knicks-have-earned-new-yorks-full-faith-in-their-title-pursuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1982149","title":{"rendered":"Despite deflating defeat, Knicks have earned New York\u2019s full faith in their title pursuit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NEW YORK \u2014 A body language expert might have detected something subtle about the New York Knicks as they arrived at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to meet the media. Perhaps there was not quite the same twinkle in their eyes or pep in their step.<\/p>\n

Even with a 2-1 lead in their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, and even with their snapped 13-game postseason winning streak preserved for eternity, the Knicks were reminded of an unforgiving part of their business.<\/p>\n

Losing sucks. Always has and always will.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

From the outside looking in, coach Mike Brown did not appear to be in the mood to, say, joke around with Fat Joe and Ben Stiller, as he had during Sunday\u2019s break between games, while holding a 2-0 finals lead. This was an afternoon for sober reflection on the Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, an off-the-hook Garden event that was booked with the idea that the Knicks would, you know, wrap a bow around the proceedings with a W.<\/p>\n

Brown, the players and the fans were left to perform an autopsy of the team\u2019s first defeat since April 23. Honestly, Spurs icon Gregg Popovich, the man who denied the Knicks a parade 27 years ago, could have helped them out with a tape of one of his signature championship-round huddle speeches during San Antonio\u2019s glory days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s supposed to be hard,\u201d Pop barked at his players. \u201cIt\u2019s the finals.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The Knicks found out how hard after laying waste to the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, and after winning the first two games of this series on the road. The Spurs are different. The title they took from the Knicks back in the day was their first of five.<\/p>\n

They are a program, not merely a team, and programs are much harder to dismantle under win-or-else pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew they weren\u2019t just going to lay down and let us win four straight,\u201d Josh Hart said. \u201cWe knew this was going to be a battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s the good news for Knicks fans: Their team has earned the benefit of everyone\u2019s doubt entering Wednesday night\u2019s Game 4 at the Garden.<\/p>\n

The Knicks have given millions of followers in the tri-state area every reason to believe they will win it all for the first time since 1973. The beautiful ball they played over those 13 games took a temporary leave of absence in what would\u2019ve been consecutive victory No. 14, which featured only 18 assists for a home team that had built its identity around sharing the rock.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cToo much ball watching, standing around,\u201d said Mikal Bridges, who described his two-point performance as terrible. \u201cWe just got to keep moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no reason to think the Knicks won\u2019t start passing and cutting again ASAP. It\u2019s who they are, and who they will be again.<\/p>\n

\n

a.showcase-link-container {
\n display: flex;
\n gap: 20px;
\n flex-direction: column;
\n align-items: center;
\n padding: 20px 0px;
\n border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);
\n border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);
\n text-decoration: none;
\n color: #121212;
\n cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n

.showcase-link {
\n font-family: nyt-franklin;
\n font-size: 14px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 700;
\n line-height: 13.8px;
\n letter-spacing: 1.1px;
\n text-transform: uppercase;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-image {
\n border-radius: 8px;
\n object-fit: cover;
\n width: 200px;
\n height: 150px;
\n margin: 0px;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n width: 120px;
\n height: 120px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-inner-content {
\n display: flex;
\n flex-direction: row;
\n gap: 16px;
\n width: 100%;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-text-content {
\n display: flex;
\n flex-direction: column;
\n gap: 20px;
\n justify-content: center;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n gap: 8px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-title {
\n font-family: nyt-cheltenham;
\n font-size: 24px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 500;
\n line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/
\n letter-spacing: 0.01px;
\n text-overflow: ellipsis;
\n overflow: hidden;
\n display: -webkit-box;
\n -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
\n -webkit-line-clamp: 3;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n font-size: 16px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-excerpt {
\n font-family: nyt-imperial;
\n font-size: 16px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 400;
\n line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/
\n color: #323232;
\n text-overflow: ellipsis;
\n overflow: hidden;
\n display: -webkit-box;
\n -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
\n -webkit-line-clamp: 4;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n font-size: 12px;
\n line-height: 121%;
\n }
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-inputs {
\n .showcase-link-input {
\n width: 100%;
\n font-size: 1rem;
\n background-color: white;
\n margin-bottom: 12px;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-indent {
\n margin-left: 25px;
\n }<\/p>\n

option {
\n width: 100%;
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
\n .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {
\n background-color: #121212;
\n color: #f0f0ee;
\n .showcase-link-excerpt {
\n color: #c4c4c0;
\n }
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

\/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click
\n document.querySelectorAll(‘.showcase-link-image’).forEach((img) => img.removeAttribute(‘onclick’));<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"History<\/p>\n
\n
\n History says championship chemistry takes time: Knicks believe they have the formula\n <\/div>\n
\n The chemistry and cohesion of these Knicks have been on display throughout a dominant playoff run.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

San Antonio\u2019s physicality knocked them off their spot, but the Knicks have proved their own toughness in previous tests of will. In response to Victor Wembanyama\u2019s hard takedown of Jalen Brunson, expect a little more of the \u201990s Knicks from the 2026 version in Game 4. A little more of the Game 1 play Landry Shamet made when he bulldozed Harrison Barnes on a nasty box-out, though unfortunately straight into Brunson\u2019s right knee.<\/p>\n

The captain has yet to deliver a vintage game against the Spurs, though he has made vintage fourth-quarter shots. Brunson called on the Knicks to reduce their turnovers and to pay better attention to the little things on the margins that separate the winners from the losers. In his meeting with the media, Brunson twice said the Knicks need to \u201ccontinue to be who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked how much all of the winning muscle memory from this postseason will help his team recover from defeat, Brunson replied, \u201cIt definitely helps. It\u2019s also always good to have a reset.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Yes, the loss gives the Knicks a chance to address vulnerabilities that might\u2019ve been cloaked by the winning streak. Karl-Anthony Towns said his team has \u201c50 days of film to show what it looks like when we\u2019re at our best. \u2026 We\u2019ll get back to our fundamentals, what makes us great, what made us great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until Monday night. San Antonio had 10 more assists than the Knicks had and 14 more points off turnovers, and afterward, Brown went after the officials<\/a> harder than Wemby had gone after Brunson. The refs miss calls in every game. They weren\u2019t the reason the Knicks lost for the first time in forever, not even close. The Spurs beat them fairly and squarely.<\/p>\n

\n

a.showcase-link-container {
\n display: flex;
\n gap: 20px;
\n flex-direction: column;
\n align-items: center;
\n padding: 20px 0px;
\n border-top: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);
\n border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(150, 150, 147, 0.4);
\n text-decoration: none;
\n color: #121212;
\n cursor: pointer;<\/p>\n

.showcase-link {
\n font-family: nyt-franklin;
\n font-size: 14px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 700;
\n line-height: 13.8px;
\n letter-spacing: 1.1px;
\n text-transform: uppercase;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-image {
\n border-radius: 8px;
\n object-fit: cover;
\n width: 200px;
\n height: 150px;
\n margin: 0px;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n width: 120px;
\n height: 120px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-inner-content {
\n display: flex;
\n flex-direction: row;
\n gap: 16px;
\n width: 100%;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-text-content {
\n display: flex;
\n flex-direction: column;
\n gap: 20px;
\n justify-content: center;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n gap: 8px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-title {
\n font-family: nyt-cheltenham;
\n font-size: 24px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 500;
\n line-height: 120%; \/* 24px *\/
\n letter-spacing: 0.01px;
\n text-overflow: ellipsis;
\n overflow: hidden;
\n display: -webkit-box;
\n -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
\n -webkit-line-clamp: 3;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n font-size: 16px;
\n }
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-excerpt {
\n font-family: nyt-imperial;
\n font-size: 16px;
\n font-style: normal;
\n font-weight: 400;
\n line-height: 139%; \/* 19.46px *\/
\n color: #323232;
\n text-overflow: ellipsis;
\n overflow: hidden;
\n display: -webkit-box;
\n -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
\n -webkit-line-clamp: 4;
\n @media (max-width: 600px) {
\n font-size: 12px;
\n line-height: 121%;
\n }
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-inputs {
\n .showcase-link-input {
\n width: 100%;
\n font-size: 1rem;
\n background-color: white;
\n margin-bottom: 12px;
\n }<\/p>\n

.showcase-link-indent {
\n margin-left: 25px;
\n }<\/p>\n

option {
\n width: 100%;
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
\n .native-mobile a.showcase-link-container {
\n background-color: #121212;
\n color: #f0f0ee;
\n .showcase-link-excerpt {
\n color: #c4c4c0;
\n }
\n }
\n}<\/p>\n

\/\/ Remove all onclicks on imgs for apps to prevent image zoom on click
\n document.querySelectorAll(‘.showcase-link-image’).forEach((img) => img.removeAttribute(‘onclick’));<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Calm,<\/p>\n
\n
\n Calm, confident Spurs continue to show the influence of Gregg Popovich in NBA Finals\n <\/div>\n
\n Legendary coach gave a message to the team ahead of Game 3 that reinforced the qualities that got San Antonio to the finals.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

In front of an electric crowd, it had to hurt the Knicks to lose one of the most hyped events the Garden has ever staged. They didn\u2019t discuss this publicly, but deep down, they surely burned to sweep the Spurs like they had swept the Sixers and Cavs. The Knicks would have become the first team in NBA history to win the championship with a 15th\u00a0straight postseason victory. The current record holders, the 2017 Golden State Warriors, saw their own 15-game streak end in their five-game conquest of Cleveland.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Imagine that. Had the Knicks performed in Game 3 like they had in their previous 13 games, they would be in position Wednesday night to go down as the greatest postseason juggernaut the sport has known.<\/p>\n

But hey, there remains so much history to make with two more victories against the Spurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody is panicking or anything like that,\u201d Brown said. \u201cEverybody is disappointed that we didn\u2019t go out and execute and play to what we feel our standard is. That\u2019s not taking anything away from San Antonio, but we feel like we can play a lot better than we did. We\u2019re looking forward to going out on the floor and showing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the way Brown has coached and the way his players have competed, there\u2019s no reason to think they will surrender control of this finals at the Garden.<\/p>\n

The Knicks remain the best and hottest team in basketball. At the very least, their 13-1 record over the last seven weeks means they deserve everyone\u2019s benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 A body language expert might have detected something subtle about the New York Knicks as they arrived at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to meet the media. Perhaps there was not quite the same twinkle in their eyes or pep in their step. Even with a 2-1 lead in their first NBA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1982149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1982149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982149\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1982149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1982149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1982149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}