Everyone knows by now that Leon Rose and first-year coach Mike Brown are going to be judged solely by how this Knicks squad fares in this year’s playoffs.
They showed under since-fired Tom Thibodeau in the postseason last spring that this group of players is capable of winning games on the road, and more importantly, ousting opponents that owned them during the six-month regular season.
Thus, it makes little sense for fans and media to freak out every time the Knicks lose to one of the league’s elite teams — if there even are any aside from loaded Oklahoma City and perhaps Victor Wembanyama’s emerging Spurs.
Sure, Cade Cunningham and the East-leading Pistons clearly have exposed some matchup problems for Jalen Brunson and the Knicks, as evidenced by the three-game sweep of the season series they completed last Thursday night at MSG out of the All-Star break.
