Mike Brown explains Knicks new minutes approach after Tom Thibodeau criticism

ABU DHABI, U.A.E. – To Mike Brown, not all victories are created equal.

He learned from his Warriors stint about the importance of pacing his players’ minutes for a championship run, about easing up on a night in February because it might help in May.

Brown is now bringing that approach to the Knicks, who operated much differently the last five seasons under Tom Thibodeau.

“The biggest thing is trying to make sure you watch everybody’s minutes instead of trying to chase games,” Brown said after Tuesday’s practice in Abu Dhabi. “There might be some games where maybe you throw the towel in early.

“It’s important to win, but you also have to understand, ‘Hey, I want to keep this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, instead of trying to extend everybody’s minutes. Because if the season is long, we don’t want anybody worn out by the end.”

Minutes distribution predictably became a third rail topic under Thibodeau, who has long been criticized for playing starters too much and leaving them on the court in garbage time.

“Throwing in the towel early” because it’ll preserve energy for later, as Brown explained Tuesday, wasn’t an option.

Thibodeau’s mantras of “everything matters” and “no lead is safe” underscored his approach to the regular season.

But Brown witnessed a different tactic as an assistant with the Warriors for six seasons.

When he was hired in 2016, Golden State had just completed the greatest regular season in NBA history with 73 wins but ran out of gas and lost in the Finals.

Steve Kerr then altered his approach, and the Warriors won three more championships – all with Brown on the sideline.

“It kind of caught up to them (in 2016). And from that point on, that’s when (Kerr) was like, ‘I’m not going to chase it anymore,’” Brown said. “If we get it, we get it, but I got to make sure for Steph [Curry], if we want him to only play 35 minutes or average 35 minutes a game, then that’s what he’s going to average.”

There’s no official word yet on where Brown wants the Knicks starters to land on minutes per game, but it’s a safe bet it’ll be fewer than last season.

With a thinner bench and Thibodeau in charge, New York’s starting five led the NBA in combined minutes by a wide margin. Each averaged at least 35, while Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges eclipsed 37.

Was it a detriment to their playoff success? It’s hard to reach that conclusion after the Knicks upset the Celtics and advanced to the franchise’s first conference final since 2000.

But there was a noticeable physical deflation against the Pacers, and an acknowledgement Tuesday from one important player that he was utterly drained.

“It was one of those things where I gave everything I have and I just didn’t have anything left in the tank,” Josh Hart said after Tuesday’s practice, adding later, “my mind was there, but my body was a step slow.”

Hart led the NBA in minutes per game last season at 37.6, but it was more than a load management issue. He dislocated his finger in the conference semis against the Celtics, hampering his shot. He also wasn’t prepared for such a long playoff run because, at 30 years old, Hart never previously advanced that far.

This season under Brown, Hart’s minutes will likely decrease dramatically – not just because of a coaching change, but also a different role and possible move to the bench.

Physically, he’s approaching this season with the experience of his conference finals failure.

“I was always in good condition,” Hart said. “Trying to find areas to keep strengthening your body, finding areas where you can limit things — whether that’s rest or eating habits, stuff like that. Those kind of things. A tweak here, a tweak there. Not a crazy change you have to do, but it’s little tweaks and when you do that it helps.”

Brown is also helping while tapping into that Warriors experience.

“I got to help, too,” the coach said. “That’s one when I was fortunate, blessed and lucky to be in back-to-back Finals, go a couple of times where you had long seasons and you feel that the next season is right there on one you.”