As the defending champions, the New York Knicks are struggling to start their title defense campaign because they are off to a slow 0-3 start. Heading into the 2026-27 NBA season, the Knicks were seen as the best team in the Eastern Conference by a lot of people, but they have not lived up to those expectations.
It is still pretty early in the season, but losing the first three games of the season after a superb postseason run is not a good look. That is why Knicks head coach Mike Brown is demanding more from his players because he knows they are capable of so much more.
Mike Brown is giving his Knicks team a reality check after a 0-3 start
As the defending champions, expectations are high from both the wider NBA community and the people in the league. Teams want to beat the champions, and that has been clear because the Knicks have not won a game in their first three tries this season.
To be fair to the Knicks, it has been a hard schedule playing against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics, and the Orlando Magic. However, the latest loss is a bit inexcusable because the Magic did not have Paolo Banchero, and they lost Jalen Suggs during the game.
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It is not good to overreact to the slow start to the season, especially with what happened in the previous campaign. However, the Knicks eventually have to live up to the expectations because they are supposed to live up to the hype. Brown wants to see more fight from his team, as they should not be having struggles early on.
“The biggest thing is to continue to coach them or tell them the truth. When we play well, as I told them just now, we were great in transition in the second half… If we’re trying the right way, sometimes you go to fight through stuff like this to get back on track,” Brown said about the Knicks’ struggles to start the year.
“Games like this will tell us that, as I said before, our crap stinks. 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 win ball games. No one is going to give us anything.”
That is the kind of reality check that the Knicks need. They are the defending champions, so they have to live up to that billing. If they want to win another one, they have to be honest and work harder than everyone else.
