Mike Brown OK With Knicks Boos After Jalen Brunson Struggle

The Knicks have lost four straight and coach Mike Brown openly accepted the crowd’s ire, saying, "I'm OK with the boos. If we're playing crappy, boo. If I was in the stands, I would boo, too." Jalen Brunson returned but was 9-of-24 for 22 points, and New York let role players like Max Christie and Moussa Cisse torch them for 24 and 15 points. The slide is raw, yet the team still sits third in the East at 25-18. Merlin sees a proud club that needs cleaner defense and a steadier Brunson to calm the arena. Brown’s bluntness could reset expectations; if rotations tighten and bench scoring drops, the boos will fade. The next few games will show whether this is a short storm or a longer winter.