Mike Brown won a championship in his first season coaching the Knicks. On Monday he watched Philadelphia beat his team by 23 in a preseason game and said the quiet part out loud.
“In my opinion, it definitely just got harder for everybody with the team that they assembled,” Brown told reporters.
He is right, and he has more standing to say it than anyone.
What New York Did Last Season
Brown was hired July 7, 2025, replacing Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks went 53-29, finished third in the East, beat Atlanta 4-2, swept Philadelphia 4-0, swept Cleveland 4-0, and beat San Antonio 4-1 in the Finals. First title since 1973.
They swept these same Sixers in the second round five months ago. Philadelphia responded by rebuilding the top of its roster.
How the 76ers Got Here
Two moves, two different routes.
Jaylen Brown arrived from Boston in a trade reported July 1. The Celtics got Paul George, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2031 first-rounder via Philadelphia, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2030 second-rounder. Brown is 30, the 2024 Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star, and averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season, a career high in scoring. George had averaged 16.7 points over two disappointing seasons in Philadelphia.
Then LeBron James signed. Two years, $8 million, reported July 25 and signed July 28. He was 41 at signing, turns 42 in December, and this is his 24th season. “I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,” James said of the choice.
Stack those on Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and Philadelphia has a top four that did not exist in June. Nick Nurse is still the head coach. Bob Myers took over as interim president of basketball operations in May after Daryl Morey was dismissed.
The Whole Conference Moved
Miami acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo to pair with Bam Adebayo and added Klay Thompson after Dallas bought out his deal. Philadelphia added two stars. The Knicks ran it back as champions.
That is three legitimate title contenders in one conference, which the East has not had in years.
My Read
Brown’s comment is being framed as a warning. It sounded more like respect, and the smarter version of it.
Philadelphia’s ceiling is real and its floor is terrifying. Embiid’s health decides everything, James is 41, and Brown is coming off a career year in a different system. The 76ers swapped George’s contract for Brown’s prime and got James at a near-minimum number, which is excellent asset work and tells you nothing about whether four alphas share a basketball in May.
New York has the ring and the continuity. Those still count for more than July does.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.