Where Knicks stand heading into matchup with Hawks in first round of 2026 NBA Playoffs

Mike Brown wanted to finish the regular season with the best record in the NBA. He wanted to have the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Brown said falling short of those goals was “disappointing.”

But Brown and the Knicks put up some other impressive numbers this season.

They had the franchise’s third-highest SRS, which is a measurement that accounts for point differential and strength of schedule.

The 2025-26 Knicks finished the season with an SRS of 6.23. They trail only the 1969-70 and 1993-94 teams and are right ahead of the 1972-73 team. Two of those teams won the NBA Finals and the third reached the NBA Finals -- not bad company to be in.

Brown’s Knicks finished the season with the fourth-best offensive rating in the league. They ranked 7th overall in defense and had the fifth-best net rating.

“I wish I could have figured some things out a little sooner than what I did, but we’ve had more ups than downs,” Brown said Sunday.

“....Going into the playoffs, we feel pretty good where we are offensively and defensively as a group,” he added. “We feel connected. I feel like everybody on the team has sacrificed in one way, shape or form. You need that from your group in order to have some success. Our guys compete, and at this point in the season, I feel like the guys really believe, not just in what we’re trying to do but in each other.”

That belief is the result of a strong finish to the regular season. The Knicks snapped an 0-5 stretch against teams above .500 with wins over Atlanta and Boston last week.

The pairing of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on offense looked as good as it has all season in those two games.

Of course, Brown and the rest of the organization will ultimately be judged on what happens in the playoffs.

But Brown’s Knicks seem to be in a good place entering their first-round matchup against the Hawks. They’ve shown over the course of 82 games that they’re one of the top teams in the league. They’ve battled through rough stretches of the season, questions about the fit of Towns, the play of Bridges and a myriad of other issues.

“Like most teams, you go through a lot of ups and you go through and it can get tough. And there can be plenty of opportunities for individuals which can turn into a collective group of guys to quit, throw in the towel any time,” Brown said.

“Anytime we face a little bit of adversity our guys try to handle it the right way. I really like their resiliency and I like their openness to trying different things or new things. Because we’ve done some things differently here than what they’re probably used to when they had a successful run doing the things that they were doing in the past.”

The past success ended with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Getting back there this season is considered the baseline for Brown & Co. We’ll find out in a few weeks if they can get back to that place and beyond.

But right now, at the end of a trying regular season, Brown and the Knicks seem to be in a good spot.

DUECE GETS LOOSE

Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson were the only rotation players on the floor for the Knicks on Sunday.

For McBride, the game was an opportunity to get some shots up and gain more rhythm ahead of the playoffs.

McBride took advantage, finishing with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

**“**He looked good. It was good to see him just go play free, take any shot he wanted and be aggressive,” Brown said. “Because he can score the basketball at a high level, he can shoot at a high level so it’s good to see the ball go in a few times.”

McBride played in six games following a multi-week absence for sports hernia surgery and an ankle ailment. He will obviously play a significant role in how things unfold for the Knicks in the postseason.

In a good sign for New York, McBride said that he feels like his rhythm is in a good place entering the playoffs.

He does feel pain as a result of his surgery while playing, which is something to keep an eye on in the Hawks series, but McBride has managed the pain and played through it since returning from surgery.