EMIRATES NBA CUP

December 12, 2025

Mike Brown

New York Knicks

Semifinal Practice Day

Q. Mike, for a team that hasn't won a title, can a game like this or a tournament like this help boost or teach what you're going to face later on down the road, maybe provide some kind of confidence boost or knowledge?

MIKE BROWN: Being in environments like this, they do help you. I've been fortunate and blessed to be part of six NBA Finals teams. The media and the distractions are much bigger than this, but this is about as close as you can get, especially during the regular season.

So there are some things that you can take from being here that correlate with you being in the Finals or whatever down the road.

Q. Certainly by the time players and coaches get to this point, they're pretty positive about the NBA Cup experience. Is there anything about the tournament and playing this during the regular season and what you're doing now that is not good for your team or team building or building toward the playoffs?

MIKE BROWN: You've got to give the NBA credit. Everybody naturally fights change or wants to say something against change. I was one of those guys when they came up with the Cup idea, I was like, oh, man, for what? In the middle of the season? We are trying to do this and that and practice and blah, blah, blah.

And as time goes on, you have to give -- starting with Adam, you have to give him a lot of credit for being innovative when it comes to things happening in the NBA, and this is one of them.

This is a really, really neat thing. I said this even before I even got here, I thought it was neat, and it's a fantastic experience for everybody. You really applaud how the NBA has tried to continue to find ways to make this more meaningful across the board. So it's a pleasure to be here.

Q. Jalen was the Clutch Player of the Year last year. He thrived at Villanova. These types of elimination games, do you think that brings the best out in him?

MIKE BROWN: You're talking about an MVP candidate, Clutch Player of the Year, [Second] Team All-NBA, all those things are definitely in his wheelhouse. When you have a guy like that, in situations like this, they step up. Not only that, some people think it's just stepping up and scoring 30 or 35, but they make the game easier for their teammates. They got to get doubled. Everybody pays more attention to them.

So they are shifting over to them just a little bit more, which gives somebody else a little bit more time to catch-and-shoot a three or to be able to catch-and-snap drive because there's more room.

And then just his mere presence gives us all confidence. So there's a lot that a guy like Jalen, again, who in my opinion is playing at an MVP level, brings to the table in situations like this.

Q. It's somewhat rare to play a team three times by this point in the year, and given you guys had a bit of a break before your last game, is the preparation a bit deeper because you have played this team so many times? There was a little bit more time off from the last game to this next one. I know everybody keeps talking about playoff-like atmosphere. But you have a lot of film with your guys going up against the Magic.

MIKE BROWN: Yeah, we have a lot of film. You have a little bit more time in playoffs to playoff-prep and really get specific and stuff because you're playing seven games and making adjustments and all that.

So we didn't get deep like we will come playoff time. But because this is the third time, they definitely know who we are and we know who they are. So hopefully at the end it will be a good game in our favor.

Q. Four teams with such a young-age team, and the average age is like 27-something. So as a coach, you've been through the LeBron era and Steph era. Do you feel now that Gen Z already took over the league?

MIKE BROWN: You have a to explain that. I have I hard time with Gen Z and Gen X, and what is the other one?

Q. It's like between 13 years old to 28 years old.

MIKE BROWN: That's Gen Z.

Q. Before it's millennial. Your age, my age, it's more like millennial.

MIKE BROWN: You look more like 25.

Q. Thank you.

MIKE BROWN: And I didn't shave today, so I do look like I'm 55.

Q. We are in the same age.

MIKE BROWN: Okay.

Q. Do you feel like the whole league has already been taking over by the younger generation of players?

MIKE BROWN: I tell you what, yes, to a certain degree, because the social media has really, really helped out in that situation. The Gen Z people, if I'm saying that right, that's the time that it really has flourished. And because of that, you have, like, Overtime Elite, the social media and the different social media platforms that these guys, they get on all the time, not only for entertainment but also as Gen Z.

But some of these guys hop on it to figure out new moves and how to play the game differently. And so the players that are coming up, they are just getting more talented, more talented, more talented.

And not only that -- and I was speaking to Mr. Dolan, our owner. One of the things he talked about and he thinks is pretty good -- it's just two guys talking, but he thinks that people are watching their diets more and they are not just hiring a workout coach but at a young age they are hiring a strength and conditioning coach and stuff like that and doing a better job taking care of their bodies.

That's why you're seeing guys 6-9, 6-10, 6-11, 7 feet doing stuff that guards do, not just shooting the ball, but the running and moving like a guard. The Gen Z generation for sure has taken over.

But their head coach, he's an old dude like me, Mosley. So he's not Gen Z.

Q. What are your thoughts on Vegas as a host market for this event and potential to host an NBA team as well?

MIKE BROWN: Everybody likes coming to Vegas because of the different things that you can do besides going to the game. There are a ton of restaurants and shows and other forms of entertainment that you can fill your free time up with, especially if you're a fan. You can make a whole trip of it for a week.

So coming out here is a pretty neat idea, except that I will say that if you're an East Coast team like us and Orlando, flying from where we flew from is a lot farther than what the West Coast teams had to fly from. So you don't look forward to the flight. But other than that, great host city for a lot of different reasons. Summer League out here is fantastic.

And then for Vegas to get an NBA team, yeah, I'm all for it. I tell you what, I hope they bring Seattle back. I enjoyed going to Seattle. It was a lot of fun. So I hope to bring Seattle back as well.

But Vegas seems to thrive when it comes to sports teams. You look at the Raiders, they have a great following. The Aces do, and then the hockey team, the Knights, seem to be doing really well when it comes to attendance.

So I definitely think they can handle having an NBA team here.

Q. Your thoughts on the Cup moving around to different cities?

MIKE BROWN: Yeah -- move it to New York. I'd like that. Let somebody else fly that way for six hours or whatever it was. You know, again, Vegas is great. But to move it around, I'm good with whatever the NBA wants to do.

Initially I doubted them on the Cup, initially I doubted them on the Play-In games, and they are both phenomenal. So I really don't know what the hell I'm talking about, so I'm going to leave it up to Adam.