The New York Knicks are in trouble in their first-round 2026 NBA Playoff matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, falling to a 2-1 series deficit after a 109-108 loss in Game 3.
Knicks coach Mike Brown has been losing the x-and-o battle to Hawks coach Quin Snyder, as the Hawks have found the perfect gaps to exploit in the Knicks system, especially in clutch time. Brown hasn’t been able to come up with a solution after losing back-to-back clutch games by one point. Given how much the franchise has invested in this team, a first-round loss might cause Brown to pack his bags just one year after he took over the team.
It seems the pressure on Brown is also from within the locker room. His disputes with Karl-Anthony Towns are well-known, but it seems backup center Mitchell Robinson might have some frustrations as well.
His trainer, Marcell Scott, shared a story on Instagram after the Knicks lost, where he criticized coach Brown as ‘scared’ to get angry and is too nice to coach the Knicks. He also aired dissatisfaction with Brown’s inability to try a system where Towns and Robinson play together instead of both being subbed out for OG Anunoby.
“Knicks coach Mike Brown is scared to get mad! He’s too nice of a guy to coach the New York Knicks! He would rather play OG at the 5, instead of Kat and Mitch at the 4 and 5. Nice guys finish last, coach! GN.”
Coach Brown did make some major decisions in their one-point Game 3 loss that might have backfired. He used Miles McBride instead of Mikal Bridges in the closing lineup after Bridges’ scoreless night, but he also did try and use extremely small lineups where Anunoby and Josh Hart were essentially the frontcourt duo. They’re strong defenders, but players like Towns and Robinson are valuable pieces for a reason.
Robinson has averaged 6.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 14.7 minutes per game in three games in this series. It’s surprising to see the Knicks haven’t used lineups with both KAT and Robinson more often, given the success Towns had with a defense-first center on the Minnesota Timberwolves. While Robinson isn’t as proficient as Rudy Gobert, he definitely has the skillset to complement Towns in the frontcourt.
If Brown was willing to make changes to the four-man unit of Jalen Brunson, Hart, Bridges, and Anunoby by removing Bridges, he could’ve contemplated adding size with a Towns-Robinson duo for a rebounding edge in the closing minutes instead of sticking with McBride. The defensive holes of a Brunson-McBride backcourt present more challenges than Towns-Robinson, so maybe this is something the Knicks try in Game 4.
Coach Brown has to change something to give the Knicks a fighting chance. Their losses are so marginal that this series could easily have been 3-0 in New York’s favor right now. He needs to deploy all the tools he can before it’s too late, and the Hawks have a 3-1 lead at the end of Game 4.
