The New York Knicks could have come out on Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers and laid an absolute egg. They could have scored 78 total points. They could have sent out their G-League squad just one day after winning the NBA Cup Championship. New York fans likely would have understood that their team was simply completely exhausted. The Knicks, however, powered through and squeaked out a one-point win without several key rotation players. Jalen Brunson's heroics and the team's effort are what head coach Mike Brown said makes this group different.
Brown says Knicks' standards make them special
Both Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet remained out for the Knicks against the Pacers. Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart sat the game out, leaving New York starting both second-year center Ariel Hukporti and rookie Mohamed Diawara.
The team needed huge performances from bench pieces and a game-winning 3-pointer from their superstar in Brunson. They did, however, come out of the game victorious. Brown acknowledged after the game that it likely would not have mattered much if the Knicks took their foot off of the proverbial gas.
"Our guys had plenty of opportunities to say, ‘Hey, we gave the good old college try, and we'll wrap it up,'" Brown told reporters. "Especially being in Vegas as long as we were and going through what we went through out there and then, having so many guys out...nobody would have been mad at them, on a couple of different occasions, if they just threw the towel in."
The Knicks' head coach made sure to clarify that his group set themselves apart from teams that would just call it a night. He also told reporters what it was that fueled that fire.
"It's not our group. We have a standard, and no matter who's on the floor, we expect everybody to hold each other accountable to what our standard is," Brown affirmed.
Knicks hoping Cup Championship is just a sampler
Those standards will be the backbone of legendary stories passed down through generations of Knick fans if the team is able to win a championship. If the NBA Cup trophy is the only one they hoist this season, many fans will likely prefer that their coach saves talk about the team's high standards for a parade.
Although the Knicks won't hoist a banner for their Cup win, the accomplishment clearly has the team feeling confident about their process. The results are there to back it up, which helps too.
If that process continues to develop and guide New York into consistently putting its best foot forward, the organization can take pride in their offseason coaching change. It doesn't have to come this season, but Brown's standards leading to an NBA Championship is the obvious eventual goal.