The decision to relieve Tom Thibodeau of his duties as head coach of the New York Knicks and replace him with Mike Brown last summer is one that, nearly nine months later, still sparks strong debate by both fans and pundits alike.
Regardless of one's opinion on the matter, based on advanced metrics and team counting stats, it's undeniable that the two-time Coach of the Year has had quite a successful run in his debut campaign in the Big Apple.
So much so, in fact, that he now finds himself closing in on usurping Pat Riley for the most wins for a Knicks coach in their first season with the organization.
As things currently stand, Brown's 48 wins is three shy of the Hall of Famer's 51-win mark set back in the 1991-92 season.
Considering they're riding high on a seven-game win streak heading into their final nine games of the regular season, the 56-year-old seems to have a rather realistic shot of breaking the storied headman's 33-year record here in 2025-26.
Final stretch of season for Knicks is one of league's toughest
Though rattling off three more wins in nine games may not seem like all that challenging a feat to accomplish on the surface, considering New York's past tribulations along with their remaining schedule, it should be far from viewed as a cake walk.
As things currently stand, the Knicks are believed to be heading into the second-toughest final stretch when it comes to their remaining strength of schedule.
Over these final three weeks of action, Jalen Brunson and company will primarily be playing on the road (where they've gone slightly over .500 with a record of 20-16) and will square off against just two teams with losing records (the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies).
Along the way, they'll also see arguably the two hottest teams in the association, the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets, on three separate occasions, with their April 12 matchup against the latter serving as their season finale.
Just half a game behind the Boston Celtics in the race for the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings, it was already clear just how important these final games are for the Knicks.
Now with history on the line for coach Brown, fans should expect to see nothing less than palpable in-game intensity.
Hopefully their recent momentum can carry over into these final outings, for, considering who they're gearing up to face, they'll need all the help they can get.