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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown was talking about center Mitchell Robinson’s free-throw shooting problems when another one popped up: a reporter’s phone went off.
Brown, 56, playfully picked up the phone and spoke into it while giving a lecture on the need for journalists to keep their phones off.
“No matter what phone it is, you need to do a better job of muting it when you get a text,” Brown said on the phone. “Because when you get a text, it interrupts the press conference. And people here don’t like it when the press conference is interrupted. So I’d appreciate your help next time, whatever phone this is. Thanks. Sorry, was there another question?”
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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown looks on during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on April 12, 2026. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
A reporter came forward and claimed the battered phone as his.
“I’m sorry, coach. I’m guilty,” the reporter said.
“Okay, no problem,” Brown said, laughing. “You’re a stand-up guy. I like that.”
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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown shouts during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors in New York, New York, on April 10, 2026. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)
Brown’s Knicks took a 1-0 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night, winning 113-102. Jalen Brunson (28 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (25 points) led the way in the series-opening victory.
Brown is in his first season as the Knicks head coach as the team fired Tom Thibodeau after losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
There is increased pressure on Brown and the Knicks to at least make the NBA Finals, as team owner James Dolan said as much in a rare radio interview with WFAN in January.
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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts during the second half of an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta on April 6, 2026. (Colin Hubbard/AP)
“I would say we want to get to the finals and we should win the finals,” Dolan said during the interview. “This is sport; anything can happen. To get to the final, we absolutely have to. To win the final, we should.”
The Knicks got off to a good start with their victory Saturday night, a victory Dolan hopes is the first of 16 games the team will win en route to a title. The Knicks play the Hawks in Game 2 on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
