After being unceremoniously fired by the Sacramento Kings in December 2024, current Knicks head coach Mike Brown has been looking to show his former team what they missed out on. And he finally pulled that off last night by beating the Kings with a final score of 103 to 87.
Brown joined the Kings as a former NBA Coach of the Year with the goal of turning the troubled franchise around. Despite the fact that he was handed a poorly built, grossly imbalanced roster, he actually managed to coach the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 16 years.
Pulling this off earned Brown a second NBA Coach of the Year award. [It also got him fired](https://aroyalpain.com/firing-mike-brown-made-things-worse-for-kings-every-possible-way). The team maintained the next season, though they missed the Playoffs. After a slow start in 2024-2025, he was fired two days after Christmas. He was essentially a scapegoat for problems he didn't create.
Now the coach of the Knicks, Mike Brown made his first return to Sacramento on January 14th. Unfortunately for him, the Kings were in the midst of what turned out to be a four-game winning streak, [and they defeated New York](https://aroyalpain.com/kings-beat-knicks-surprising-stat-won-them-game). It wasn't the homecoming he was looking for.
Mike Brown finally makes his point to the Kings
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Almost two weeks later, the Kings headed to Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks again. Sacramento was competitive for most of the game, but coughed up a loss in the fourth quarter. It was the win Mike Brown had obviously been looking for as he was quite happy after the game.
When the Knicks lost to the Kings in Sacramento, Brown left the court without speaking to anyone. Naturally, no one expected him to talk to the owner who fired him or the guy who replaced him. At the same time, a few words with his former players wouldn't have been surprising.
This time, Mike was in a much better mood. He was chatting with guys he worked with, like Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray. Brown looked so much happier that it was as if he were a completely different guy. He must have needed this win over the Kings really badly.
Getting fired always hurts, particularly when you're being blamed for issues you didn't cause. Mike Brown inherited a tough situation in Sacramento, made the best of it, and was fired when it didn't work out. Brown had to show the Kings that he is a good coach and put a period on that time in his life.