On the impact of elimination games:
“Being in an environment like this, it’s a great experience for all of us, especially having the feel of a single-elimination game. There was no, ‘Hey, let’s go get them tomorrow,’ or, ‘Let’s figure it out.’ Everybody kind of hangs on to that during the course of the game.”
On guarding Victor Wembanyama:
“Well, you’re not going to be able to guard a guy like that one-on-one. You try to put length, size, physicality at the point of attack when it comes to him, but it’s got to be five guys guarding the basketball at all times. We do that no matter who we’re playing, but especially when it comes to a guy like Wemby, because at his size and his skill set, nine times out of 10, he’s going to miss because he misses. But we have some pretty good defenders with length, and hopefully they can, at the point of attack, try to make it as difficult as possible with him, knowing that they have help behind them.”
On Brunson’s national stage performance:
“It’s beautiful to be able to see him do what he’s more than capable of doing on a national stage like this in an environment like this. So that hopefully you guys as media and the fans out there can continue talking about him as an MVP of this league because that’s exactly what he is.”
On what’s at stake in the Cup final:
“We feel like we deserve to be here. We want to take advantage of being here by going out and trying to get this win.”
On early uncertainty around Josh Hart’s role:
“It was a blessing in disguise. I was open and honest. He hadn’t played a lot in the preseason because he got hurt early on, so I didn’t have a great feel for how to use him, when to use him, what his game was completely like.”
On what Hart told him during their meeting:
“[Hart said] I’m one of the leaders on this team, I can’t think of myself in this situation. I have to let the process unfold.”
On Hart’s all-around game:
“If you don’t understand basketball, it’s really hard to appreciate their games. Sometimes you look at them [and say], ‘He can’t do this, he can’t do that.’ It’s the opposite. Josh can do everything. There’s some things that he does that are elite.”
On adapting to a new role and the Cup’s importance:
“In life, change happens, not just for me but for everybody else, and you’ve got to be ready to pivot. I feel fortunate, blessed, lucky, however you want to call it, to be in this situation here with the New York Knicks. You don’t have a lot of control over your destiny or your path a lot of times, and so for me to be able to land within an organization like this with the type of players that are here, with the owner and Leon [Rose] and his group, again, you just take advantage of it. So I don’t have a lot of time to reflect on the past. I’m about being present and trying to figure out where we can go as an organization and a city going forward.”
On crediting the league for the NBA Cup:
“You’ve got to give the NBA credit. Everybody naturally fights change or wants to say something against change. I was one of those guys when they came up with the Cup idea, I was like, ‘Oh, man, for what? In the middle of the season? We are trying to do this and that and practice and blah, blah, blah.’ And as time goes on, you have to give — starting with Adam, you have to give him a lot of credit for being innovative when it comes to things happening in the NBA, and this is one of them. This is a really, really neat thing.”
On how to confuse Wemby:
“You’ve got to find ways to pull [Wemby] away from the basket, and you’ve got to obviously be smart.”
On Brunson’s offensive skills:
“It doesn’t really impress me anymore. I’m just more numb to it. And I think that’s just more so shocking. Because I’m not surprised by some of the angles he’s able to get to and manipulate and those kinds of things. So yeah, he’s a good offensive guy.”
On offensive strategy vs. Wemby:
“You got to be aware of [Wemby]. Obviously he’s a great defensive player and he cleans up a lot of stuff at the rim. So we have to make sure we’re playing off two feet, being composed and getting into the paint. And if we do that, we’ll have open 3s and we just have to knock ‘em down. So we know what we have to do. And we just have to go out there and execute it.”
On struggling with benchings early in the season:
“A couple times I felt like I was going to snap.”
On trying to remain professional after being benched:
“It was the second or third time being benched in the fourth, so I was extremely frustrated. I tried to stay the course to have maturity and not … blow up.”
On adapting to a new coaching system:
“He was still learning me, I was still learning him. I had to be patient with it. You don’t always need to say something. Humility, letting things fall as they may and not always feeling the need to blow up.”
On plans for Cup bonus money:
“I’ll buy a watch. I got robbed in September with no gun. I lost three watches so I have to start replacing those. We’re in Vegas. If I put it on a hand of blackjack, I might be able to double it and get more watches.”
On Coach Brown’s impact during the Magic game:
“It took Coach Brown getting into us. Rest of game’s a testament to that first timeout.”
On adjusting to Brown’s system:
“We can go back and be comfortable doing what we did past few years, but Mike Brown wanted to bring his system and we had to buy in. Starts with me.”
On handling Wembanyama:
“You’ve got to find ways to pull him away from the basket, and you’ve got to obviously be smart. You can’t just go in there and think no one is going to come and affect the shot. He’s great at what he does, and we’ve just got to be smart as a team, playing off two feet and reading where he is and just trying to get the best shot as possible.”
On what the Cup final means:
“You’re not winning or gaining anything in your record, but you’re going out there and competing. You’re playing for more than just yourself. You’re playing for your team, your organization and your city. There’s a lot at stake besides the record. You go out there and compete no matter what.”
On how to approach the final:
“You treat it like a regular game.”
On his relationship with coach Mike Brown:
“Our relationship has grown. Our communication is great, the way we talk about things. Haven’t really had any negative conversations or anything like that, but he’s been great. The way he’s holding all of us accountable, pushing us, it’s something that we need from him, and we’re really thankful for him.”
On supporting team staff with Cup money:
“We have a lot of guys and coaches who don’t make as much as some guys on this team, so it’s an added bonus for them as well. You’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for an entire team.”
On sharing prize money with staff:
“Yes, we have. Thanks for ruining the surprise.”
On the mentality that comes with winning:
“It brings that feeling of winning… When you get that feeling of winning, it’s addicting. I want us to get addicted to that mindset of winning the next championship.”
On Mike Brown’s personality and approach:
“Very personable guy. Obviously likes to laugh. We’re still learning, but winning games while learning is a testimony to this coaching staff and the guys in the locker room.”
On defending Wembanyama and team execution:
“I mean, yeah. He’s 7–5, and he’s very talented. For us, we’re going to have to do a good job of executing our defensive game plan and offensively as well. Everything for us is about execution. I think that’s what’s made us really good recently playing basketball is our execution. So we’ve just got to go out there and find a way to do that for 48 minutes.”
On execution as the foundation for success:
“He’s very talented. For us, we’re gonna have to do a good job of executing our defensive gameplan. Everything for us is about execution. I think that’s what’s made us really good recently, playing basketball, is our execution.”
On the winning mindset:
“No matter if it’s the Cup, NBA Finals, winning any game, when you get that feeling of winning, it’s addictive. Obviously, I want us to have that mindset where we’re addicted to the next championship if we can win this one. I think this is a great start for us to understand the standards needed to win at a high level, at a championship level.”
On donating his Cup money:
“Honestly, I’ll probably give it to the Dominican Republic. They have ‘Go Sports’, ‘Go Ministries’ over there. I feel very confident knowing the money will go over there and take care of the kids in the D.R. I would love to win so I can give them more money and help the community over there.”
On what he’ll do with his Cup money:
“I’m going to pay my rent, fa sho. They can just have the whole thing.”
On his favorite player versus ideal teammate:
“Tracy McGrady. One of my favorite players ever. Just his talent. For me personally, though, I think wouldn’t be able to get the ball [if McGrady was my teammate]. So somebody like [Rajon] Rondo.”
On Cup bonuses helping younger players:
“It’s a great opportunity, especially for the young guys. They’re just getting into the league. This is a way to make some money. I think it’s really good for them.”
On guarding elite talent like Wembanyama:
“It’s always fun to guard great players. You can learn a lot from the experience. Just making it as difficult as possible. Try not to let him get comfortable, force him into tougher shots. He’s a great player, so he’ll make some, but force him into tough shots. Try to maybe have him catch the ball a little further [from the rim]. Try to make him as uncomfortable as possible.”
On priorities between the NBA Cup and June title:
“The one in June is our main goal.”
Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs Head Coach)
On Spurs’ motivation in the Cup:
“I think we go into (Tuesday) trying to win the NBA Cup, and that’s the approach. Our guys are really, really excited to be here. They’ve been excited since the start of it. … I think we’ve seen our group really embrace the Cup. We’ve earned the right to be here, and I think we’re going to attack the game and be really fired up to try to go win it.”
On creating space for Wembanyama:
“You’re trying to provide a landscape that has pristine spacing that puts the defense in a bind, where they can’t guard him with multiple people and get back to the rest of the people on the basketball court.”
On what the Cup final means to the Spurs:
“It’s a high-stakes game that both teams are going to be very invested in winning. It just shows that we are preparing and we will pass the next step for more significant games in the playoffs. This is a complicated explanation, but it’s as simple as that: As competitors, we want to win every game, and this one brings something new on the table, so we want to win it even more.”
On the financial motivation in the Cup:
“People like money. It is what it is. That’s life.”
On why players care about the Cup:
“People want to play for something. In our locker room with the two-ways and everything, people want to win this. You can go into any locker room, if someone says they don’t want to win it, they’re lying. It’s fun being able to go out into an environment like this and try to win a prize like that.”
Jamahl Mosley (Orlando Magic Head Coach)
On Jalen Brunson’s evolving role:
“We talked about this from Game 1 — Jalen is getting off the ball a bit more, coming back to get it. So, now, you’re playing against closeouts and playing against a shifted defense as opposed to being able to load up on him.”
Charles Lee (Charlotte Hornets Head Coach)
On the Knicks’ offensive tweaks:
“It just seems like that (Villanova) action that they’re running with the DHOs and then all of a sudden they’re swinging it around. There’s still some of the similar tendencies, but maybe a little more pace and a little more early ball movement.”
On defensive adaptations around the league:
“Things that you thought were rules before have changed. Some of that has had to change because offenses have gotten so much better and so much more creative. The talent level is so high right now. You have to honor everyone on the court. Everyone is shooting 3s. Now you’re just thinking about what shots you’re willing to give up, how you’re going to speed up the other team.”
On helping off the strong-side corner:
“Helping from the strong corner, I feel like I saw it early on from Miami. It was a thing that was a sin almost, you don’t do it. But they did it at such a high level and I think teams have watched that and incorporate it a bit more.”
Darko Rajakovic (Toronto Raptors Head Coach)
On the Knicks’ shift in offensive focus:
“The first 10 or 12 games, it felt like they were running more. Now, it seems like they’re settling into personnel. They’re playing a little bit more to the strengths of their main players, but at the same time try to implement ball movement and body movement. Obviously, they’re a very talented team, so it’s the right thing to do to focus on the strengths of those guys and let them be who they are.”
Will Hardy (Utah Jazz Head Coach)
On how the Knicks generate offense:
“We spent all day talking about how much pressure they’re putting on the paint, but they’re doing it to generate catch-and-shoot 3s. There are a lot of similarities because the players, ultimately, dictate the style. There is a lot of Jalen Brunson that looks very familiar to me, but I feel like the spacing that they’re playing with and the dribble-drive provides different looks. It allows their personnel to play off of closeouts.”
On Leon Rose’s success with the Knicks:
“Not at all. You see how much money he helps people get? He’s been incredible there. It feels like New York, what they’re building out there, it has a feeling of New York. So that feels good for them. … They’ve been doing an incredible job of finding the DNA that fans want to root for. And I think that’s the most important thing for certain markets.”
On Rose’s low profile:
“Leon is behind the scenes. I don’t think people even know how Leon looks.”