Steve Popper: Knicks not concerned with narratives, outside noise ahead of Eastern Conference semifinals
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 30: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks reacts during the second half of a game against the Atlanta Hawks in Game Six of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at State Farm Arena on April 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images
When Thursday’s closeout blowout in Atlanta was complete, the Knicks headed home. They had a day of relaxation Friday, then began practice Saturday — but without an opponent to prepare for yet.
The Knicks watched Saturday night’s Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers to see which one would be the next challenge for them. It was an odd position, basically refining their games with no opportunity yet for a game plan except those being plotted for both scenarios by the team’s video coordinators.
“Just resetting,” Karl-Anthony Towns said after Saturday’s short practice session. “Understanding that we gotta get ourselves ready for the next series. Obviously, today we don’t know, so we watch tonight, like all of us. But just making sure that we get ourselves ready to be the best version of ourselves first.”
“Well, you can always get better,” coach Mike Brown said. “It’s about us, and a lot of times it’s about us even if we know who we’re playing. There’s plenty that you can work on without knowing who your opponent is because you’re trying to get better or sharper in the areas that make you who you are.”
By the time the night was over, the opponent was set, as seventh-seeded Philadelphia upset second-seeded Boston, 109-100, to give the Knicks the homecourt advantage in the next round, which begins Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks got extra time off and rest by beating Atlanta in six games while these two were battling through a Game 7, just like top-seeded Detroit. Now, after a long regular season, the Knicks get the 76ers with a banged-up Joel Embiid and homecourt advantage — as well as talk that they might be the best team in the conference right now, something they don’t want to hear.
“I haven’t heard of it,” Jalen Brunson said. “And I don’t care.”
“Nah, we not listening to no noise,” Towns said. “At the end of the day, we just gotta continue to work on being the best version of ourselves. When we step on that court and give ourselves a chance to win every night, the only thing we gotta do is in our locker room, continue to believe in each other.”
He again was asked, so you haven’t heard that?
“No, no,” he insisted. “I know you really want me to say yes, but unfortunately for you, it’s a no.”
The twist is that despite finishing the season as the No. 3 seed, the Knicks worked on Saturday with the possibility that they could be the top remaining seed in the conference and have the home-court advantage in the next two rounds if Detroit also loses its Game 7 on Sunday.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Brunson said. “It’s one of those things where you can’t really worry about. You have to control what you can control. Focus on one day at a time and focus on the task at hand. Those things you try not to think about, because you just can’t control those things.”
Standing on business
When the Knicks began their playoff run, Mitchell Robinson arrived on the court with tape around his ankle and the words “stand on business” scrawled across the tape. As the Knicks prepared for the second stage of what they hope is a long postseason journey, the most important thing is that Robinson is on the court with them, delivering his message again.
The Knicks’ longest-tenured player, backup center, comic relief and offensive rebounding and rim-protecting force avoided a suspension as the NBA opted for only fines after he and Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels were ejected in the second quarter of Thursday’s series finale. Robinson received a $50,000 fine for not only his part in the altercation but a funny, yet profane, social media post that the NBA’s disciplinarians did not find funny, instead considering it inappropriate.
“The playoffs are a lot more physical than the regular season,” Brown said. “Stuff happens. Everybody is human. We just have to keep making sure that for us we don’t do anything that costs us the rest of that game or the next game. I applaud all of our guys, our security guys . . . and then our players because again, everybody is human and sometimes things happen, and to get help from everybody else is huge.
“Then, even our assistants. When I went and turned and looked at the bench, I don’t know what Atlanta’s bench was, but I know our entire bench was on the sidelines. It’s extremely important in that situation to not have anything result in a future suspension or anything like this.”
While the reason the Knicks turned the series around, winning the final three games in convincing fashion, may start with Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, the Knicks got contributions up and down the roster.
Robinson, in his backup role, was a +29 in only nine minutes before getting ejected. He blocked two shots, hit all three of his shots at the rim and grabbed three rebounds.
Basically, standing on business.
“I forgot he wrote that on his ankle tape,” Towns said. “I mean, Mitch is a big part of our locker room. What he does on the court, obviously I know he impacts winning, and he does a lot of things that sometimes don’t end up on the stat sheet but makes us come out with a W.
“So Mitch is very vital for our locker room, for our team, and we’re always going to support him. We’re always going to stand behind him when he wants to, I guess, quote unquote ‘stand on business.’ ”
“More important than I think we realize,” Brunson said of Robinson’s value. “Hence why we had coaches and security and players doing whatever we could to try and stop him from doing any more damage than he did in Game 6. He’s very important to what we do on both sides of the ball. He’s way more important than I think a lot of people realize.”
Inside the scrum
While Robinson avoided a suspension in no small part because of the quick work of the Knicks’ security staff, teammates and coaching staff who rushed in, Brown was one of the first in, showing good speed rushing from the bench to get between Robinson and Daniels. His glasses flew off in the scuffle.
And while Brown had all the quick thinking about keeping Robinson from further trouble, ensuring that his bench players didn’t step onto the court and that the Knicks escaped with no injuries, another thought took over.
“I had a lot of the right thoughts going in. When I got in the middle of it, they all went out the window for some reason,” Brown said. “The only thing I could think of is that I had one pair of glasses. I can’t see anything. I can’t even see if you are smiling at me or not. I’m blind as a bat.
“I was like: my glasses, my glasses, my glasses! I didn’t have another pair with me and there was too much of the game left. It helped me because now I will carry a second pair of glasses.
“I saved my glasses. Once I went down, my glasses came off my head. I didn’t care about anything else. It was to get my glasses and protect them.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
