NBA FINALS: KNICKS VS. SPURS

June 3, 2026

Mike Brown

New York Knicks

Game 1: Postgame

Knicks 105, Spurs 95

MIKE BROWN: It was a good win by our guys. We felt we didn't play well. I'm sure San Antonio felt that they didn't play well, too. And obviously it's good to learn from, especially when you didn't feel like you played well. It's good to learn from a win.

In the first half, they kicked our mind in transition. They had 25 fastbreak points, and in the second half they had nine. We can't buddy run because they have quick, athletic players. And then you've got Wembanyama coming and he can shoot the three or get to the rim.

You know, we were more efficient ourselves in transition in the second half, and we've got to keep trying to push the pace because these guys are too good to go against their set defense all the time.

You know, our ability to crash and not only crash but more importantly turn the offensive rebounds into second-chance points was huge. You know, getting 23 second-chance points compared to their 14 was big, especially with the amount of free throws that they had compared to ours. We had to find other ways to score.

Did a nice job taking care of the basketball. First half, we had eight turnovers, and second half we had one turnover. So obviously we had an opportunity to score more.

We have to keep getting to Champagnie. Champagnie had five threes in the first half, and we did a better job of closing out to him and trying to get him off the three-point line.

And then, you know, going down the line with our guys, Landry was huge off the bench with his 13 points. Not only that, defensively he was huge for us. OG got it going in the second half. OG was huge for us in the second half. He hit some big threes.

You know, you look at Josh Hart's line being 1-for-5 from the field, and the guy had 15 rebounds and four steals, and he made some unbelievable defensive plays and he helped us tremendously in transition. So heck of a job by Josh.

And Jalen, he was the MVP in the second half. He was huge for us. He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home. We put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch.

But a good win. We have to keep taking it one game at a time and stay present and see what happens.

Q. You mentioned the play of Brunson and obviously he had to deal with the knee injury early on and ankle injury, we saw him going to the back. How did you see him come through this game and what do you expect the next 24 hours to look like before you have to go to battle again?

MIKE BROWN: I'm too emotional and you know, when I get caught up in injuries, so when he got hurt and he went out, Jose, let's go. And I was about to throw Tyler Kolek in the game, too. Jalen came back, tough as nails, and to me he didn't seem like he had any effect afterwards.

I haven't talked to our medical people. He didn't look like it was bothering him down the stretch, and so I think he's okay.

Q. We've seen it all the time in the games with Jalen, but what was the difference between his first three quarters and then what he did in that last seven and a half minutes? I know he's hunting Champagnie, but what did you see there that got him going?

MIKE BROWN: He's a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows up, and that's what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands and said we are going to live and die with him. And he got it done for us, and that's happened time after time after time. He got to his spots and he made plays.

On top of that, our guys spaced the floor correctly. When you are playing at San Antonio and you have a defensive anchor like Wembanyama, your spacing has to be right and if that ball gets sprayed, we know Wembanyama is in the paint. And when the ball gets sprayed, guys have to make plays and Josh was great with his quick DHOs.

Guys were great shooting the ball. Guys were great having a second drive and those are things you have to do against this team because Wembanyama is going to gravitate towards the ball when you drive it.

And again, I give our guys credit, especially starting with Jalen because he made some huge plays. Drew Wemby in even more. But give our guys credit for trying to play fast down the stretch and making sure the floor was spaced when Jalen drove the basketball, spaced correctly.

Q. With that, when Wembanyama is not in the paint, he's usually challenging a jump shooter and that person usually misses, how much of an emphasis is there, when Wembanyama is outside of the paint, to shoot the ball and help lead to the 23 second-chance points, how aggressive do you need to be?

MIKE BROWN: They are going to put a small guy on KAT quite a bit, and when they do that, we want KAT to hang out in the dunker. We don't want him around the three-point line. We would rather have Josh there, and we know Wembanyama is still going to be down on the floor.

So KAT is going to hopefully have an opportunity to get offensive rebounds, and if he didn't, Josh has to shoot the ball if he's open or he's got to make quick decisions with the basketball, DHO here, DHO there, or touch off the paint, play a two and spray it.

We are trying to keep it as simple for our guys as possible and they have to take advantage of where Wemby is because he's just so impactful defensively.

Q. You mentioned KAT, his defense and offense, just the aggressiveness you saw from him on both ends of the floor today.

MIKE BROWN: He was amazing. The double-double was huge. He came up with some timely buckets for us. He's a problem. You put a small guy on him, he's got a chance to offensive rebound. You put a big guy on him, he's got a chance to pick-and-pop and go around guys.

We have to just keep trying to move him around based on who is guarding him throughout the course of the ballgame, but he was huge for us with his double-double.

Q. What did you think of Mitchell Robinson? Did you think he was limited at all by the hand?

MIKE BROWN: I didn't think he was. I've got to go back and watch the tape. He caught a lob. He was still a vertical threat. If you don't pull in to tag him, it's a dunk, and when he rolls like he rolls and creates that weak side to pull in, our guys have to spray the basketball.

So it's one of the two: You throw it up, just kind of what have they do with Wembanyama. You throw it to Wembanyama or you throw it up to Mitch, and if the small pulls in and tags those guys, you've got to find the skip pass.

And then defensively, I thought he was pretty good, defensively, as well, trying to rebound, keeping those guys off the glass.

Q. Sticking with the defense, second half, 40 points, hold them to 32 percent shooting, what was working for you on the defensive end in the second half?

MIKE BROWN: There was a level of physicality. First of all, we did a better job with our transition defense. These guys are just fast, and we can't buddy run. You've got to sprint back and you've got to shift to the ball. You've got to make the paint look crowded and then you've got to get to their shooters just because they are so good, you know, in transition.

Next thing, we've got to keep them off the glass. We've got to try to keep them out of the paint, but we have to do it without sending them to the free throw line. So I thought our level of physicality was good without sending them to the free-throw line in the second half, and then we were able to do multiple efforts by helping stop the ball and getting back to Champagnie, who torched us in the first half.

Q. I know you guys would rather not be down double digits but this isn't the first time you guys have mounted a comeback like this. What are you seeing from your team when you are down double digits that's allowing them to continually come back and secure these victories down the stretch?

MIKE BROWN: These guys are resilient, man. They get better as the game goes along. They really try to pay attention to the details that we are throwing at them. They try to bring energy and multiple efforts while not -- while being physical without sending them to the free throw line. And then they know, we've got to play fast. You're playing against good teams now and you can't go against a set defense all the time.

And you know, we're down double digits tonight and we were also down double digits Game 1 against Cleveland, and for our guys just to stay with it is huge because anything can happen in a 48-minute game as long as you stay the course.

And I tell you in the first half, you know, the officials did a good job. They are human. They are calling what they see. But you know, I started -- I always like to say hello to them at first. I jumped the ball right away and then I apologized to them. I said, hey, I should have said "hi" to you guys at least, first, and then jump you. But I didn't do a good job of keeping my mind present in the game, and neither did our players. We were all bitching too much at the officials.

Rick Brunson was great. He told me to shut the hell up -- sorry, Mom -- he told me to shut up or be quiet and he told the rest of the team to be quiet and leave the officials alone.

It was great of him because we were all kind of losing our mind, and I did it. Rest of the guys did it, and it helped us put our energy elsewhere, especially in the second half.

Q. Many times in the game, we heard the Knicks fans saying, "Let's go Knicks!" That kind of support when you are the visiting team, how big is it for the team to hear so many Knicks fans in the area now?

MIKE BROWN: It's great, man. Our fans have been fantastic. They have been fantastic on the road. And to see them around San Antonio, to hear them in the arena. I've got to give a shoutout, the New York Police Department, first of all, I'm giving a shoutout. Tough, tough, tough, job. I heard they let the watch parties go on and people hanging out in the streets again. NYPD, a lot of love, but appreciate you guys continue to bring the energy to New York and the ones that are here, it's awesome to hear them cheer the way they cheer.

Q. We've seen all kinds of clutch plays from Jalen in the playoffs but to be battling through injuries and for one of the biggest plays to be a tip offensive rebound into a relocation, what does it say about him just finding a way when it's not set up perfectly in a situation like that, kind of scrambling late in the game?

MIKE BROWN: Again, I go back to it's an MVP candidate and what MVP people or players do, they just go get it done. It doesn't matter how it is. They make the game easier for their teammates, which when he got to paint, and he drew two, he sprayed it, got the guys open looks. When he got to his spot and he had the right matchup on it, he scored the bucket. He misses a shot; he gets a putback.

There's all types of things that those guys do, especially on that end of the floor, and like the young people say, he went to his bag tonight and got it done.