POSTGAME SOUND: KNICKS VS. MAGIC | COACH MOSE, JALEN SUGGS & FRANZ WAGNER

POSTGAME SOUND: KNICKS VS. MAGIC | COACH MOSE, JALEN SUGGS & FRANZ WAGNER

Mo, first off, you know, most importantly, how are you feeling? Um, better now. Um, lightheaded, almost dizzy on the sideline. I kicked in. Probably shouldn’t have been yelling at Carl like that. That started it. U, but much better now. But it was less, it was scary, but for the most part, way better now. Our guys did a great job. You know, you got to credit the guys, the coaches just for coming in and holding our standard and doing our standard. Exactly what we’ve talked about doing and that’s especially in that second half. What did you think of the way the team responded, you know, not knowing whether or not you’d be back in the second half and just handled that? Well, I really do. You got our coaches are so, excuse my language, our coaches are so damn good. like the way that they work with these guys, communicate with them knowing how much they care. The guys respond because they knew exactly what we needed to do. We talked about it at halftime. You know, we only have four turnovers in the second half. You get to the free throw line 30 times. You get 64 points in the paint. You talk about what we’re trying to accomplish and what we’re doing every night. And this is what these guys know how to do. Sitting down and guarding, creating the break, uh but just staying aggressive the entire night no matter what. So, our coaches, again, they they’ve done a phenomenal job and they continue to do a phenomenal job. Um, Joe, I thought there was another question. Joe Joe’s been a head coach before. How did he Did you watch the game? How did he handle that or just game? I was trying to track it with the numbers, but like Joe has done it before. Joe is excellent. Joe is prepared. Joe is a worker. Joe does a phenomenal job with these guys. He’s seen more than most people can even imagine. Um, and he just he talks about what our standard is. He knows what that is and he knows how our guys respond to that. And you know, just you have to give credit to our staff who prepared the game knowing we played them before, but it’s just it says a lot that we just continue to, you know, hold our standard for what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to continue to play. Coach AB is really showing promising development, especially on the ball, ball skill de development, finishing at the rim. Uh, is that something he’s been working on with coach Shamgod? And can you touch on maybe their partnership in practice at all? I think Sham has done a tremendous job with AB. um his ability to finish. You see the last game going in getting finishing dunks, going to the rim, attacking the basket, different ways of finishing. Sham’s done a tremendous job with him. I mean, he’s a plus 21 tonight, you know, and just his his ability to play defense on multiple players. Um and he’s got a tenacity about him that he’s going to find a way, and that’s a thing that we’re going to continue to need from him as he as we move forward. If my math is correct, you guys were plus 14 in the in the second half. I know you just mentioned you didn’t didn’t watch the second weren’t able to watch the second half just for the guys to kind of band together with you out and just kind of coming together and going taking a lead and going ahead keeping a lead and winning the game. What does it say about this group? You they have a bunch of guys that are already connected very well connected and they stay pushing each other stay bonded together and I think that says a lot about not just them but about the staff that understanding exactly what we need to do. The most important thing in this moment was holding our standard and two winning the game. And these guys knew that’s what it was and they found a way to get it done. So it says so much about this group that continues to work together and pull together to know exactly what we can accomplish. Jamal, I think you guys won like nine of your last 12 games. What’s clicking right now for this team? I think it it goes into guys holding themselves accountable. Uh having the defense work to create early and easy offense. I think they understand exactly what they know how to do and it goes back to that accountability piece. They know exactly how and what we’re trying to accomplish and how our standard is and they’re recognizing it night in and night out and it’s going to be different every night on depending on the opponent, but what we do has to stay the same. Are you um good to go you think for the next game? I believe so. Okay. Are do you expect to have Paulo or Jaylen tomorrow night? Um Paulo, no. Will be determined on Jaylen. Jamal, when Fron is shooting with the um the lack of hesitance and and the accuracy that he is from three now, how does that impact the offense? I mean, you got teams do one thing or they try to do one thing well on Fron and they try to keep him out of the paint and his ability to still get downhill to get to the free throw line. I think those are big keys. And then when they go under, his ability to sit down and knock down shots. um and he works his tail off to get those shots and he looks at different type of looks. So, you know, he’s a tough cover for anyone and there’s a reason why he should be, you know, nodded in these in the in these mentions of, you know, the big time players in this league because he plays both sides of the ball as well. You go, Josh? Yes. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. We’ll be back. We do have a Yeah, we do. Jay, we know how much coach Mo means to you guys when when he’s battling illness, can’t be out there for the second half. How much did you want to get this one for him? Yeah. No, absolutely. Um, you know, anytime we got somebody to go down on the squad, you know, we always want to pick him up, especially at halftime. Uh, you know, a lot of it just it happened really fast. We kind of didn’t even know that he wasn’t coming back out, uh, until like that first couple minutes when, you know, he didn’t walk out the tunnel. So, um, yeah, you know, we’re always praying for him. We’re giving him our love. Um, hope he feels better. Uh, but I think Joe P did a great job and coming to step in and stayed solid, gave us some good plays, had good conversation in the bench. And I think all of us took a whole another leap of responsibility in terms of what we need to do to go finish the game. Uh, so big credit to Joe P, big credit to the boys. Um, and yeah, I think all of it was a culmination of a good win. I was going to ask like how did you guys feel that you had to step up in that responsibility or what what changed in the second half for you guys to you know take more ownership there? Yeah, I mean I think that’s been part of our growth every year that we’ve been here. Uh we’ve kind of taken a step up in terms of you know how we’re viewing the game, how we’re attacking it and then in real time how continue to adapt and evolve uh as the game is going on so that we can be a lead and stay on top. So um I think it was just a lot of good conversation. Uh France was a great communicator tonight. Uh Tristan was was seeing things and coming to talk to us on the bench and our bigs I think did a great job in giving us perspective. Um and I think so everybody played a role in it uh from AB’s talk to Tai pulled me and AB together a couple times to have convo. Um it’s just everyone kind of picked up the pieces um and got it done. So I to me that’s the biggest win of the night. We withtood great runs. Um you know I think we played really great basketball but we were professional tonight. Everyone’s professional and I think that’s what makes a good team great and that’s the path that we’re on. Jaylen, you came into this league with an identity of being an elite defender. Every year you’ve you’ve uh bettered yourself on the offensive end and this season you’re one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. What do you sort of attribute um to the the growth in your offensive game this season? I think mindset is the biggest thing. Um like I said, skill comes over time as you stay in the league. um you know this is your job you know so every day you’re going to put daily deposits in and better yourself um in terms of shooting ball handling reads um I mean even defense um every day you get better um but the mindset shift I think was huge and um again it’s hard to look at like surgeries and setbacks and things like that as as positives in real time um but I think I had a group of people that helped me stay locked in to see the bigger picture this summer um I was in a great space to really pro process you know the things that were coming my way around some great company and um yeah, I mean I think that’s been the biggest leap. So I’m I’m able to come in and you know digest and and recognize what we need to get done to win the game whether it’s you know me going to score from the three uh from the free throw line from the paint uh get guys involved or just keep offense flowing and be a connector. Um you know really picking and choosing uh you know which tool we need at at certain times and then applying it. So um yeah, I appreciate it. I’m trying to keep growing. I think I got so much more so much more space to get better, especially in taking care of the ball and being a lead in that in that aspect. But um yeah, each day I’m just trying to be better, show up for the boys. It felt like that that play when you and AB swarm Josh Hart and you know, you guys crash to the floor against the tech and you’re damping up the fans courtside. Felt like that was sort of like the turning point to seal the win there. Did could you feel that in the moment? Like how how big was that play from your vantage point? Uh it was huge. It was huge. Like again, that’s recognition of of runs and momentum and and energy um bigger than basketball. Energy within us that’s going on in the court, energy in the crowd and then taking full advantage of it. Um so I think it’s a huge play. I love playing defense for Anthony Black. Uh cut so good. Um he’s going to be an elite all defender for a couple years in this league. Um his mindset, his his intuition on that side of the ball is is special. Um and that was that was honestly his play. Um, I was there for it, but that was his play. And, uh, like I said, when we’re able to do that and turn the crowd up, um, it’s so much fun and it’s hard to to respond and go back on your own run after that because the energy in the in the building is so contagious. And everyone that was wearing a Knicks jersey and in blue and orange was quiet as hell during that stretch. So, um, yeah, I think again, credit to the fans for showing up, showing out tonight. Um, credit to AB uh, defense on that play for getting us rolling. Yeah, I think everyone did a good job um of staying with it um and continuing to throw punches. We’re good, bud. Thank y’all. Fron, how did your group uh find out that Mo wouldn’t be coaching the the second half? And you know, how much did you want to get a win for him? Um honestly, I just saw Joe there. So, um that’s when I found out um no obviously the game was going on. So, asked him what happened um after the game, but um yeah, for him, just for the whole group, too. Um no, I thought we were playing some really good basketball, so wanted to, you know, reward ourselves. Sorry. um just to go three and 0 on this home stand. What what does that mean for the group? Yeah, it’s it’s awesome. Um I feel like we’re taking steps in the right direction. Um I thought the day was really good how we stayed the course, you know, after a tough start and um not every game is is going to be the same. So finding different ways to know get back into game, start games really well, um start quarters really well. U it’s really important for us. you were uh 37 points um just shy of your careerh high. Um what did you see offensively that you know efficient performance tonight from them to it felt like it maybe you were feeling it out a little bit in the early going and then just kind of figured out how you could get to the to the rim. Yeah, I mean obviously they’re they’re guarding me with Robinson um a bunch. So I think in the past you know it’s gotten a little stagnant when know big is on me. So, just finding ways to, you know, still be aggressive, but just picking my spots and do it in in the flow of the offense. And I think we did a really good job with that as a team. Um, and then I think you obviously get into a rhythm, get some easy ones in transition. And um, like I said though, I thought in the half court we did a good job of not stalling out. France, you were incredibly efficient tonight. And what opened up the floor for you offensively? And does any of that have to do with the mask you were wearing? Cuz you seem to play really well in it. Um, no. Yeah. I I don’t think the mask is is a reason, but um no, I thought I just I played a good game, was aggressive, got to my spots, and um when I was able to finish um know the past games, some of those shots didn’t fall. And um I think if you’re doing trying the right stuff and just know play good basketball, I think usually the game awards you at some point. So like I said, I thought it myself, but know the whole team did a good job of just keep finding the best shot. And um I think that’s when know, not just me, I think a bunch of the guys had really good offensive games. Beyond tonight, just what has the addition of Joe been to the to the staff and the organization? Yeah, it’s great. obviously a super experienced coach and um I thought we had great great dialogue in the game in terms of what we wanted to run and what he was seeing and um know obviously luxurious position to to have when head coach goes out to have someone like Joe there. France, how far along do you think the team is in terms of just getting a feel for each other on offense and what the team is trying to accomplish considering how early in the season it still is? I think we still got some know room for improvement obviously, but I think for the most part we we’ve established how we want to play and um it’s it’s I think that’s important cuz then it’s easy to hold people accountable and it’s easy to see when when we don’t play like that. So, um I think that’s something even compared to some of the other years that I’ve been here. Um I think that that we’ve gotten a lot better at and um I think that’s just us players communicating amongst each other as well. and obviously with the coaches too. Um what we’re seeing out there and what we can do better and um I think we’re making some good steps but obviously still early in the season. Everyone good? All right. Thank you. Thanks.

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