When the Knicks lost in Chicago on Friday , their third straight defeat, Mike Brown spoke animatedly of the team’s failings, the lack of defensive physicality, and he spoke openly.

“Got to keep telling them the truth,” he said. “I’m going to keep coaching them. I’m going to keep trying to keep putting them in the best position to win.”

But what he really wanted to see was how the Knicks would respond to the first bit of adversity they had faced under this new regime. Would they step up? Would they match the intensity he was pleading for?

It came, of course, from Jalen Brunson , who attacked offensively from the start Sunday in the rematch with the Bulls. It came off the bench from Josh Hart, who showed the infectious energy that has marked his tenure in New York.

It also came fro

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