Kristian Winfield: The Knicks sold the world a dream — but Game 3 was a nightmare

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ATLANTA — James Dolan has risen to his feet. He’s been through a roller-coaster ride of emotions watching his Knicks — who he gave an NBA Finals mandate in January — cough up Game 2 against the Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Monday, then fall behind by as many as 15 points from his court side seat at State Farm Arena on Thursday.

Only to take a one-point lead with less than a minute left in regulation, the ball with his captain, his floor general, his All-Star and face of the franchise’s hands with the game on the line.

Dolan’s dreams — the dreams Mike Brown sold him in July when hired as the replacement for Tom Thibodeau following the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals run in a quarter-century — quickly became nightmares. Because Jalen Brunson, the NBA’s reigning Mr. Clutch, came up short with the game, and maybe even the series, on the line.

With the Knicks up one and less than a minute left in regulation, Brunson shot an airball, to which C.J McCollum responded with a go-ahead pull-up 2. And on their final offensive possession, the Knicks went back to their captain one more time, the player who’s taken them home so many times since restoring the winning order in New York after his arrival in 2021.

Brunson received a pass from Josh Hart and drove baseline. The ball popped out. It rolled past Hart into Hawks possession as a sellout Hawks arena — an arena once loudly cheering the Knicks on — roared for Atlanta’s 109-108 victory that may have changed the trajectory of two franchises.

The Knicks chief among them.

This isn’t the team Brown sold the world when he took the job. The team that was supposed to play fast, selfless basketball turning defense into offense, a brand of basketball, Brown said, would lift the Knicks to championship heights this season.

It’s certainly not the vision he sold Dolan on during the interview process, after the Knicks owner struck out on Jason Kidd, Billy Donovan and other gainfully employed NBA head coaches. Brown sold Dolan a dream.