Two days after Mike Brown spent part of his postgame news conference standing by his rotation decision-making, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench at the same time during two stretches of Game 2, the Knicks head coach reiterated his trust in any player on the court.
But he also acknowledged before the Knicks left Tarrytown for Atlanta on Wednesday that anything can change in the playoffs.
“First of all, anything’s open to discussion offensively, defensively,” Brown said when asked if he’d be comfortable making that same lineup decision again or if he’d like to limit it. “Maybe changing this defensively. Maybe changing that offensively. I’m comfortable with all of our guys playing, no matter who the five is out there.
“But at the end of the day, just like offensively and defensively, I mean we changed both of those things halfway through the year. Anything can happen, and when you’re in the playoffs, everything should be on the table. But I do feel comfortable with what we’ve had.”
The first instance of Brunson and Towns on the bench at the same time occurred after Jordan Clarkson subbed in for Brunson between the first and second quarter, with Towns already on the bench from when he checked out with 2:48 left in the opening frame.
When the stretch with both out began, the Knicks led 32-23. By the time they entered again midway through the second quarter, that initial advantage had already been erased. The Knicks, at one point, had even trailed before rebuilding a five-point edge as the pair checked back in.
Then, Brown kept the pair off the court again for the final 1:50 of the third quarter and the opening 4:04 of the fourth. And while the Knicks still had a nine-point lead when Brunson and Towns checked back in with just under eight minutes remaining in the game, it had originally been a 12-point advantage.
The Knicks bench, outside of Mitchell Robinson, has struggled to produce for the opening two games of the series. That was only amplified when Brunson and Towns were on the bench together. But Brown’s trust still hasn’t wavered — at least for now.
CJ McCollum again dodged a chance to truly embrace the role as the Knicks villain in this series.
After dropping 32 points Monday and fielding “F–k you, CJ” chants from fans inside the Garden, McCollum downplayed it as a “hostile” environment after his performance that, as Hawks teammate Onyeka Okongwu said, “shut that Knicks crowd up.”
“It’s just fans booing you or cheering you on,” McCollum said Wednesday in Atlanta. “It’s really not that serious. I think when you look at it that way, it’s just a game. It’s fun to compete at the highest level. It’s fun to be recognized by people, but I don’t play for Spike Lee’s approval. I don’t play for Knicks fans’ approval. I don’t play for anybody’s approval. I play for my family, myself and God, so it’s just a game, at the end of the day.”
Thursday will mark the Hawks’ first home postseason game since 2023, and Okongwu expected it to be “very, very loud” at State Farm Arena.
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“Obviously, you know, Knicks fans are gonna be there as well, but I know ATL faithful will be there as well,” Okongwu said. “Excited for [Thursday] night.”
Backup Atlanta center Jock Landale was again ruled out with a right high ankle sprain.
