New York Knicks beat them in the Finals, won its first title since 1973 and, like San Antonio, got the shortest summer in the league. Now camp is open, the preseason starts Monday, and the same core is back for a title defense. That brings up a fair question.
How hard do you push them? Head coach Mike Brown answered it this week, as the New York Daily News reported. Go slow with the starters.
"We'll try to ease them in. The last game is always a dress rehearsal but we'll try to build them up leading to that game," Brown said. That covers Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Brown can afford to be patient with them because nobody showed up out of shape. "All the guys look like they're in pretty good shape, especially for a short summer," Brown said. Every player passed the team's conditioning test before camp.
So Monday's opener in Philadelphia will look different. Brown said the starters will play against the 76ers, "but not much." The bigger focus is on the young guys and newcomers fighting for the last roster spot. Brown expects mistakes from that group, and he is OK with it.
What he wants to see is how fast a player makes up for one. He called himself "huge on next-play speed." From there, the minutes for the starters will climb. The Wizards, Timberwolves and Raptors are on the five-game slate, with the finale serving as the full run-through before the games count.
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