Believe it or not, the Knicks decided they’re cool with gambling.
New York won’t host a game on Saturday, as it’d be Vegas instead welcoming the Knicks to the Strip as the boys try to punch their tickets for Game 83 next week.
Here’s what we heard before and after yesterday’s potentially historic victory.
On Jalen Brunson’s scoring against Toronto:
“He bailed us out offensively in that first quarter. We were able to score with them or keep it close because Jalen had a big first quarter, which he, obviously, is more than capable of doing. That’s just who he is, when you talk about MVP candidate of the league.”
On early-season road struggles and slowly fixing them:
“We’re starting to figure out who we are. Early in the season, we had a lot of injuries during the preseason, so I didn’t have a good feel for this team, or as good a feel as I needed to have, and that’s part of the reason why we [have struggled] on the road.”
On the Knicks’ defensive potential:
“I know this sounds crazy, but we still have a lot of room to grow on both sides of the floor. We can be an extremely high-level defensive team.”
On the Knicks’ team-wide effort against Raptors:
“Jalen did what he was supposed to do. He bailed us out offensively in that first quarter. And so we were able to score with them and keep it close because Jalen had a big first quarter. Which obviously he’s more than capable of doing. That’s just who he is when you’re talking about an MVP candidate of the league. And then after that first quarter, everybody on our team just started to get aggressive.”
On the need for pressure:
“Life is short. My outlook, you want excitement in your life. So you try to put yourself in positions where you have pressure at times. That’s something that if you’re a competitor, you want some excitement in your life, you embrace it. One of our standards is having a competitive spirit. All of our guys, especially as you go along or advance you should embrace any type of pressure that comes along with it, because at the end of the day that’s what you do when you’re a competitor.”
On hanging a banner, no matter how big it is:
“Any time you can hang a banner you go get it, you try to go get it. We have our standards. We have our principles, we have our values, but at the end of the day — that includes fun, enjoying all of that stuff — at the end of the day it’s about winning. That’s what we all signed up to do.”
“They keep going in, and people keep leaving him open because they’re trying to put their fives on them. He can shoot a little bit, but he works really hard at it, and so it’s no surprise to us that he’s shooting it as well as he is.”
On Josh Hart’s versatility:
“I tell you what, he reminds me of Andre Iguodala from the sense that if you don’t really understand basketball, then it’s hard to really appreciate their game. Both those guys, sometimes we look at him, and you might be like, well, he’s not really this, he’s not that, he can’t do this again. It’s the opposite. It’s they can do everything. Josh can do everything. There’s just some things that he does that are elite, and some things that he does pretty good. That’s what Josh is. He does everything that you want him to do, not only offensively, but defensively, too. Guarding, one through five, and so on and so forth. Same offensively. Some of the things he does at an elite level, and some of the things he does at a pretty good level. And when you have a player with an IQ of Andre or Josh, man, good things can happen for your whole team, and it makes your job easier as a head coach.”
On Ariel Hukporti’s speed:
“I’ve been in the league a long time — and he’s one of the fastest bigs I’ve ever been around in both directions. What he has to remember is he is not going to play long stretches. So use your super power as much as you can.”
On Ariel Hukporti’s defense:
“He’s longer and more athletic than you think, and he has a nose for the ball when he goes up. Those things right there start the process for him so he can have success everywhere else. He may not be a shot-blocker like Mitch because he’s not as long, but because he has good feet, he’s got good feel. He can take a hit from someone who’s driving and not fold. He’s strong enough, sturdy enough to take that hit and go vertical, which makes him a very very good rim protector, or a paint protector. … [And] he’s done a pretty good job of screening. Those are the things he needs to base his game around. And then from there, anything else that comes to the table is gravy.”
On the Knicks’ adjustments after Toronto’s strong first quarter:
“Scoring 39 in the first was easy for them. They’re a good team, but we had to crack down a little bit. We had to up the pressure, find a way to get stops and score in transition.”
On his performance vs. Toronto:
“The ball was going through the hoop.”
On the opportunity to compete for a title:
“It’s an opportunity to win something and I’m happy with the way we played and the way we fought. We knew this team was gonna bounce back, We played them last week.”
On the team’s approach to the NBA Cup:
“I think as competitors whenever you have the ability to win something you want to do that. If you are a competitor, you should want to compete every time you step on the court. So for us, it’s important to first focus on Toronto and if we can get past that, it’s something we definitely want to win. And, we’re going to go out for it.”
On the significance of staying competitive on all fronts:
“It’s not just about playing for ourselves. It’s playing for a lot of other people. The players and assistants who put in a lot of work, who come in at 7 in the morning and make sure we’re able to improve as a team. It’s a good thing.”
On going to Vegas next weekend:
“I don’t gamble. It’s probably a good thing I don’t gamble, right? Probably shouldn’t say anything about gambling.”
On the chance to hoist the NBA Cup:
“It’s an opportunity to win something.”
On Brunson’s 35-point night:
“When you have one of the best players in the NBA on your team and you get to see him do what he does at a high level, it’s always fun.”
On reaching the NBA Cup semifinals:
“This locker room is ecstatic. It’s an opportunity to represent our city, represent our team over in Vegas — the Cup brings out a competitive edge in all of us in this league, and we’re just happy we have a chance to go out there and compete against the best of them.”
On adapting to Mike Brown’s system:
“I’m just running down the floor. He expresses it more. So yeah I feel like Mike’s doing a great job playing to our strengths and telling us our strengths.”
On embracing his defensive role:
“I feel like that’s why I’m here: to play defense. Being a defensive anchor. Being there for my teammates… just doing my job. I feel like everyone has their specific role, and I feel like I’m a fantastic player in my own role. So I’m trying to embrace it and I’m trying to bring that every day.”
On Ariel Hukporti’s potential:
“We’ve got a lot of talent out there… sometimes [Ariel] might not get out there. But he’s definitely talented and smart enough to play, so every time he gets his opportunity, he’s gonna do really well. Definitely a big game from him tonight.”
On Hukporti’s development:
“I think just smart big, he’s just smart. He knows on offense how to set a screen and roll, and on defense, being up to the touch and dropping and boxing out, rebounding. He’s a really smart player.”
On Brunson’s hot hand against the Raptors:
“It’s hard not to watch when you don’t get the ball. There’s nothing else to really do but watch. Fortunately, he’s an extremely gifted scorer. I’m happy he’s on our side.”
On Ariel Hukporti’s growth:
“Understanding the game plan and having that game plan discipline is something that always take awhile but also takes some experience, so I think he’s doing that. He’s always trying to learn and figure out what he’s doing and wants you to talk to him throughout the game. So he played great today for us, and we’ve gotta continue to need him.”
“Every game that you get into is a big opportunity. Especially since it’s a Cup game. We’re trying to win. So I’m excited for the game no matter what.”
“I’m just trying to do all the little things coach has been emphasizing. Pushing the ball in transition. Being physical on defense. Getting into the ball. Stuff like that. I just think it’s attention to detail like I was saying. Guy my size, I’ve got to be exact on everything. I’ve got to be in the exact right position on defense. In the right spacing on offense. I can’t be a little bit off. There’s no margin for error there.”
On his old training routine:
“[In college, I’d] work out before practice. Spot shots after. We get out of there around 4, 5 o’clock. Back in the gym, 8:30. Every single night. I didn’t miss a night. A lot of guys say that. But I really did not miss a night. I had this anxiety or fear of if I wasn’t in the gym, I wasn’t going to do good the next game.… All that kind of stuff, you kind of mature or grow out of that. I know the work I put in the past and I know the work I continue to put in. And that’s what’s going to hold weight in any game or practice or wherever I go for the next competition. It’s not what I did the night before, that’s not going to hold me. It’s what I did two years cumulative.”
On moving to a smarter training routine:
“You definitely change. I was actually doing less on the floor. You can look back on my college career and all that and say I overworked to get to this point and that’s what I had to do. And now, I have to change that philosophy once you get here and work smarter. I was killing my body. I was never fresh. I was never feeling my best. So now coming into the summer I wanted to feel my best in order to go harder on the floor, go harder in the weight room. … Less is more sometimes.”
On where did he spend last year’s NBA Cup money:
“Last Christmas, I bought my mom a car with the money we got. We were in this round last year and we didn’t advance. So hopefully we can get it done. It would be a nice little Christmas gift.”
On who gets the next car:
“Nope, my dad wants the next one.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ fouling issues:
“I am going to need Karl-Anthony Towns to stop getting two early fouls. He’s too important to his team to keep getting these two early fouls. Your team needs you on the basketball court. Your presence alone makes other guys better.”