BRIAN MAHONEY Basketball Writer.

Mike Brown knows there’s going to be pressure that comes with coaching the Knicks. He also knows there’s a great roster and great restaurants waiting in New York. He’s excited about all of it. The new Knicks coach shook off any concerns about taking over a team that fired Tom Thibodeau despite getting two wins from the NBA Finals, pointing to the positives Tuesday that made him want the job. Brown was hired a little more than a month after the Knicks surprisingly fired Thibodeau despite getting to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.

The New York Knicks have hired Mike Brown, turning to the two-time NBA Coach of the Year after firing Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks offered the job to Brown last week and announced Monday that he would be taking over the team that reached the Eastern Conference finals last season for the first time in 25 years. They decided to fire Thibodeau despite that and eventually picked Brown, who wasn’t out of work long after getting fired by the Sacramento Kings during last season. Brown had led the Kings to the postseason in 2023 and was voted the Coach of the Year.