There are nights in the NBA when everything just clicks - the ball moves, the defense locks in, and the scoreboard tells a story of complete dominance. Wednesday was one of those nights for the Knicks. A 54-point win over the Nets - the largest margin of victory in franchise history - wasn’t just a blowout; it was a blueprint of what this team can be when all the gears are turning.
It was a stark contrast to what happened just two days earlier, when the Knicks were humbled by the Mavericks. That kind of swing - from disjointed to dominant - is part of what head coach Mike Brown expected when he took the reins.
He knew the path wouldn’t be linear. There would be growing pains, setbacks, and plenty of nights where the vision didn’t quite match the reality.
But he also knew that with time, the pieces could fit.
“I coach the way I coach,” Brown said back in the preseason. “We’re going to play fast - not just in transition, but in the halfcourt too.
We’re going to space the floor, attack the paint, and generate threes. We feel like we have the guys to do that.”
That’s the plan, and on nights like Wednesday, it looks like more than just theory. But getting there hasn’t been seamless.
Brown inherited a team that had carved out a gritty identity under Tom Thibodeau - a team that played with toughness, leaned heavily on its starters, and made a deep playoff run by doing things the old-school way. But with that success came criticism: too slow, too reliant on isolation, not enough development off the bench.
Brown was brought in to modernize the Knicks - to bring pace, movement, and a bit of that Golden State magic he helped engineer as an assistant coach. But change in the NBA doesn’t happen overnight, especially with a roster built for a different system.
Now, 44 games into the season, the Knicks sit at 26-18 with an NBA Cup title in their pocket. That’s not nothing. But it’s also clear this is still a team in transition.
Some of Brown’s early ideas have already evolved. Josh Hart, once pegged for a bench role, is back in the starting lineup.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who was expected to shift into a more versatile role, is mostly back to playing traditional center minutes. And while Brown talked about ramping up the pace, the Knicks have only nudged forward in that department - from 26th in the league last season to 24th this year.
Not exactly a sprint.
The same goes for ball movement. The Knicks are averaging 291.4 passes per game this season, up slightly from last year’s 281.1.
It’s a step in the right direction, but still a far cry from the league-leading Warriors, who hover around 339 passes per game. The ideas are there - the execution is a work in progress.
Still, there are signs of real change. The Knicks are taking five more threes per game than they did last season, jumping from 27th in the league to eighth. That’s not just a stat - that’s philosophy showing up on the floor.
“We want to play with pace offensively,” Brown said. “We want to reverse the ball, make quick decisions, touch the paint, and create space. On defense, we want communication, pressure, physicality without fouling - and then we want to finish the play with a rebound so we can get out and go.”
It’s a lot to ask of a group that had found comfort and success in a different system. Mikal Bridges touched on that earlier this month.
“We got comfortable with last year’s system,” Bridges said. “Now we’re trying to fine-tune.
Even with the way we’re playing now, I think we can be 10 times better. It’s early.
We’re still learning and growing.”
Bridges also praised Brown’s accountability - something that stood out from the moment he arrived.
“That was probably the biggest thing I heard about him,” Bridges said. “You saw that from the summer.
But he’s also adjusting. Sometimes it looks good on paper, but once you get to know the players, you figure out what works.”
That’s the balancing act Brown is navigating. He’s trying to install a new system while recognizing the strengths of the roster he inherited.
Jalen Brunson is one of the league’s most skilled offensive guards, but he’s not built to fly up and down the court. Towns has a unique offensive toolkit, but he’s not a transition-first big.
So Brown has adapted, putting his stars in spots where they’ve already proven they can thrive.
And when it all comes together - like it did against the Nets - it’s a glimpse of what could be.
“Just seeing us play how we’re capable of playing,” Brown said after the win. “I don’t know what the score will be every night.
But the things we did - the things we talk about, drill, watch on film - our guys are more than capable of doing them. Seeing them put it together for 48 minutes was a lot of fun.”
It was more than fun - it was a statement. The Knicks aren’t a finished product, but they’re evolving. And on nights like this, you can see the future they’re building toward.