Knicks’ Mike Brown sends ultimate praise for Mitch Johnson before NBA Finals

Adding to the intrigue of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs is the head-coaching matchup of Mike Brown and Mitch Johnson.

Brown is in only his first season as the Knicks’ head coach, but he’s already guided them to the final stage of the NBA Playoffs. He has New York just four wins away from ending a long NBA title drought that dates back to 1973.

The Spurs, on the other hand, are being handled by Johnson, who has inherited the role after the abrupt end of Gregg Popovich’s legendary tenure as the franchise’s head coach in the 2024-25 NBA season. Now in his first full season as San Antonio’s head coach, Johnson has proved himself to be the right choice to be Popovich’s successor.

Even Johnson’s NBA Finals rival got him his flowers before Game 1 of the series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

“He’s a way better coach than I was as a young guy,” Brown told reporters before the series-opener (h/t SNY Knicks). “The job that he’s done is fantastic, it’s second-to-none.”

That is quite a compliment from someone like the 56-year-old Brown, who won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 2009 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2023 with the Sacramento Kings.

Only 39 years old, Johnson has a golden opportunity to join a short list of NBA head coaches who have won a league championship before turning 40. Of course, that is going to be easier said than done, as Brown and the Knicks present a tough challenge for the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio squad.

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