Brown Calls New York Knicks’ Effort 'Crap’ After 0-3 Start As Jalen Brunson Demands Accountability

Head coach Mike Brown and guard Brunson react during the Knicks' rocky start to the 2026-27 NBA season.© Ndtv Gallery

The defending NBA champion New York Knicks are searching for answers after a rough 111-102 loss to the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden dropped their record to 0-3. With prior defeats against Philadelphia and Boston, New York became the first reigning champion to open a season with three straight losses since the Dallas Mavericks back in 2011-12. Despite a combined 72 points from Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby, the Knicks completely unraveled down the stretch. 

They squandered an 86-76 lead with just over nine minutes remaining, surrendering a staggering 40 points in the fourth quarter alone fueled in large part by an explosion from Orlando's Franz Wagner, who dropped 21 points in the final frame alongside eight costly turnovers. Postgame, head coach Mike Brown didn't sugarcoat the team's struggles, telling reporters: "The biggest thing is to continue to coach them and/or tell them the truth."

No Light Switches And No Handouts

Making it clear that last season's championship ring doesn't buy them any wins today, Brown laid into the team's current habits:

"When we play well, as I told them just now, I said, 'Hey, we were great in transition in the second half.'" ' You know, we were. But now we have to continue trying to embrace the little things, and we have to make sure we're doing it in practice so it has a carryover into the game. I mean, I'll really jump their a* if I see the effort not there. You know, because to me that's a whole different thing."

Brown And Brunson Demand Better From New York Knicks

"If we're trying and trying the right way, sometimes you got to fight through stuff like this to get yourself on track. But games like this will tell us that, as I said before, our crap stinks. You know, it does. And we're the only ones that can do something about it. There's no light switch that we can just turn on and think we're going to go win ballgames. Nobody's going to give us anything. So we have to be better with the little things until we start shooting the ball well."

Meanwhile, team leader Jalen Brunson addressed his teammates in the locker room ahead of their upcoming matchup against Detroit, emphasizing accountability and resilience:

"Control what you can control; focus on the little details that may seem small but are going to impact winning. Most importantly, let's do it together. One thing I've said throughout the entire training camp, and honestly to this day, is we're going to see who we are within the first couple of weeks of the season. So, we're hitting adversity now, and how we're going to respond matters."