Mike Brown: Knicks win vs. 76ers wouldn't have been deserved - ESPN

NEW YORK — Knicks coach Mike Brown would've taken the win against the Philadelphia 76ers — but wouldn't have been happy with it, acknowledging that relying on late-game magic or the feel-good vibes of ring night wouldn't be enough to start the season on a positive note.

Before Tuesday night's opener, Jalen Brunson, usually the balm to bail out the Knicks, addressed the Madison Square Garden crowd as the team received its championship rings. Before the banner unveiling, Brunson thanked Knicks fans for not leaving during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, when New York trailed by 29 points in the third quarter.

With all the emotion in the air, it would seem fitting for him to put on his cape again to torment the 76ers. But Brunson shot just 6-of-19 from the field — including 1-for-5 in the fourth quarter — as the 76ers came away with a 106-100 win.

«If Jalen Brunson hits those shots down the stretch and we win, for me personally as their coach, there's going to be something inside of me that wished it wouldn't happen,» Brown said. «It's almost like you're playing with fire and you ended up winning that time without any water or one of them fire blankets to cover the fire.»

Brunson finished with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists.

«I think it's good for us to get knocked down off the mountain, humble ourselves, put our egos in check,» Brunson said. «I've told you guys since day one, whatever happens the first couple of weeks of the season, I'm not sure that's who we really are.»

Brown called it an «ugly» game and it certainly was a slog. Karl-Anthony Towns was in foul trouble before being the lone source of consistent offense in the fourth (10 of his 19 points came in that quarter) as the Knicks shot 37% overall and 33% from