Mike Brown addressed a wide range of topics during his Wednesday practice press conference as the New York Knicks continue their preparation for the Eastern Conference Finals.
The coach detailed how the staff is managing both preparation and workload during the playoff break, saying, “You try to get the input of everybody of the different departments and try to do the best you can to keep it competitive while keeping guys’ minds sharp while giving them a break as well. And so that’s what we’re trying to do. Trying to mix it up with some live stuff, some shooting stuff, while watching some film, not trying to do the same thing every day.”
On managing intensity in practice, he added, “Not sure if we’ll do it again, maybe we might do it one more day, but that would be on feel and based off of whether we play sooner than later. He practiced today in some aspects of it. Some parts of practice he did. When we went live, he didn’t go live.”
Brown emphasized the foundation of the team’s identity, stating, “Again, I talked about having a standard going into the year and the standard’s about sacrifice, connectivity, kinetic, competitive spirit, a belief in each other and overall process while holding each other accountable.”
He also pointed to the team’s development over the season, saying, “It’s come together in the first two rounds. So it’s definitely not a thing that just happened in the playoffs. It’s definitely not a thing that happened overnight. It’s a process that everybody has to stay patient with because it’s not going to always be beautiful and perfect.”
On OG Anunoby availability for Game 1 of the conference finals and medical caution, he noted, “I just wouldn’t, they told me what he could do today. They have not told me what he can do tomorrow.”
Brown also reflected on playoff scheduling challenges, stating, “I’ve been part of sweeps, I’ve been part of getting swept and been part of long layoffs and short turnaround. So you worry about different styles, different stuff at different times.”
From an offensive standpoint, he highlighted tactical priorities, saying, “At the end of the day, one thing that everybody does throughout the course of a year, everybody practices against and all that other stuff is the pick and roll game. The two-man game is the most obvious, easiest thing to do in the game of basketball.”
He further explained adjustments against elite defenses, noting, “Yeah it does, you need versatility especially come playoff time because every step you go, the teams are better and they’re better on both sides of the ball.”
