Mike Brown's playoff debut

Mike Brown opened his Knicks playoff run with a 113-102 Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. (nba.com) Jalen Brunson drove the start, scoring 19 points in the first quarter and finishing with 28 points and seven assists as New York took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series. (sportingnews.com, nba.com) Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points, including 19 in the second half, and Josh Hart had 11 points and 14 rebounds as all five Knicks starters scored in double figures. (espn.com) Brown used the postgame podium to say Brunson “stepped up to the plate” and “hit some big shots for us early,” framing the point guard’s burst as the tone-setter rather than a surprise. (sportingnews.com) This was Brown’s first postseason game coaching the Knicks after New York reached the Eastern Conference finals last year under Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks entered this series as the East’s No. 3 seed, with Atlanta at No. 6. (espn.com, nba.com) The game also gave Brown his first playoff test-case on in-game adjustments, especially when Atlanta used the “Hack-a-Mitch” tactic and intentionally fouled Mitchell Robinson in the third quarter. Robinson went 1-for-4 at the line before Brown pulled him, then reinserted him to open the fourth when the bonus calculus changed. (amny.com, nba.com) Brown said, “We’ll see how the game goes,” and later said Atlanta’s fouling could push New York “closer to the bonus,” while Hawks coach Quin Snyder said the strategy “made sense.” (amny.com) The Knicks still won the free-throw battle 25-12, and NBA.com’s recap called the line a difference in the final score after Atlanta’s late push cut a 19-point deficit to single digits. (nba.com) Game 2 is Monday, April 20, at 8 p.m. Eastern in New York, with the Knicks up 1-0 and Brown’s debut now shifting from first impression to whether the opener holds up over a full series. (nba.com)