Knicks Dominate Warriors in Thrilling Double-Double Showdown
Ahead of tipoff between the Knicks and Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, two opposing head coaches had a word: Steve Kerr sent his former assistant coach Mike Brown a text message. The gist of the text? Brown’s Knicks had better come prepared — because the Warriors, short virtually their entire starting lineup, had some tricks up their sleeves.
“Steve texted me and he said he came up with some killer plays that were going to make us spin backwards and forward. I believe him,” Brown said during his pregame press conference on Sunday. “Situations like this, we faced it in Utah.
We faced it to a certain degree in Indiana. They’re tough. But if you expect to be who you think you are at the end of the day, you will approach this in a business-like manner.
” The Knicks were closed for business in the first quarter, where the Warriors — without Stephen Curry , Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis and De’Anthony Melton—out-executed them offensively to the tune of 35 points to just 21 for New York. The Knicks, who were down 21 points with 9:30 to go in the second quarter, went on to outscore the Warriors by 17 points in the second and third periods to punch a 110-107 victory over No. 9 Golden State on Sunday.
“The biggest thing is making sure you don’t skip any details,” Brown continued. “I think in games like this, the details or the small things are huge. And playing with a sense of urgency while making them feel you on both ends of the floor — that doesn’t mean going out and blowing them out, but if you’re lackadaisical at any point in the game for any stretch, they’re NBA players.