Two Knicks appeared on the All-Star \u201cGame\u201d on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Neither won the thing, and only one made it to the final match.<\/p>\n
This is the first time all season someone involved with New York has failed to win<\/a> a meaningless<\/a> title.<\/p>\n On Jeremy Sochan\u2019s addition and what he brings:<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m very excited to see him. I think he brings a level of toughness. From what I\u2019ve seen, he\u2019s been a great teammate. So I\u2019m very excited. It\u2019s a great opportunity for us and for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n On his \u201choly grail\u201d outside of winning a championship:<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I feel like my journey has been very different from most. I\u2019m very thankful for it. It made me work extremely hard. It made me realize the opportunity that I\u2019ve had. I\u2019m still chasing a lot. I write my goals \u2014 long-term and short-term \u2014 at the beginning of every year, and I keep that to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n On lessons learned from the Eastern Conference Finals loss last year:<\/p>\n \u201cNever looking ahead. You want to focus on the task in front of you. After last year, you can\u2019t just jump right back into where we were. You\u2019ve got to go through the journey all over again. So it\u2019s taking it one day at a time, step by step, not focusing down the road \u2014 just being present.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n On Jose Alvarado\u2019s impact:<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s had a great impact so far with his energy \u2014 who he is on and off the court, what he brings to the table. He\u2019s a great person to be around. He\u2019s already impacting our team and it\u2019s going to be great for the Garden. Fans are going to love him if they don\u2019t already.\u201d<\/p>\n On who he\u2019d want on his podcast:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big SVU fan \u2014 Mariska Hargitay.\u201d<\/p>\n On who is his most annoying teammate:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to say his name. I\u2019ll just say No. 3 on the Knicks is the most annoying person ever.\u201d<\/p>\n On game-day mental preparation:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very routine-based. I try to stick to the same routine. My focus comes from preparing \u2014 not just game day, but the days leading up to it, the summertime, the work I\u2019ve put in my entire life. Your confidence comes from your work ethic. That\u2019s how I prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n On podcasting advice:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s talking to one of my best friends. We talk about things we want to talk about. We don\u2019t have to answer every question people want us to answer. You can create your own narrative, say things you need to get off your chest. It\u2019s its own platform. It\u2019s something we didn\u2019t think we\u2019d want to do, and now here we are in year three. It\u2019s fun. It\u2019s unique. It\u2019s a great opportunity, possibly life after basketball if we want to continue it.\u201d<\/p>\n On his first NBA field goal:<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a dunk against the Lakers. It came off a Julius Randle turnover \u2014 Julius and D\u2019Angelo Russell were fighting over the ball. It ended up in my hands, and I did a two-hand dunk, which I never do.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n On the possibility of Jason Tatum returning this season:<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a very dangerous player in our league. Obviously, seeing him go down last year, it sucks to see. You never want to see that from anyone in any sport. But the fact that he\u2019s worked so hard to get to where he is and is preparing to come back, that just speaks to who he is. Basketball fans around the world are excited to see him come back.\u201d<\/p>\n On representing the Dominican Republic and inspiring kids:<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s pressure. I put the time and work into the gym and my craft, and I feel very confident every time I step on the court. I know this is bigger than me. I\u2019m super happy I have the opportunity to show Dominican kids it\u2019s possible \u2014 not only to get a scholarship, but to make the NBA. I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention my mentors who showed me it was possible \u2014 Charlie Villanueva, Francisco Garcia, Felipe Lopez, Al Horford. It means a lot that I was able to take their teachings and continue to show the next generation that it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n On Dominican culture influencing his game:<\/p>\n \u201cThe work ethic, the passion. Dominicans are passionate about family, about food, about having a good time. I translate that passion into my game. Every time I\u2019m on the court or in practice, I\u2019m passionate. I take the work serious. I look for quality over quantity.\u201d<\/p>\n On international basketball and future opportunities:<\/p>\n \u201cI love international basketball. It would be cool to see it grow and operate at a high level. Maybe one day be a part of it. There\u2019s so much talent in the world. Making the NBA as one of 450 players is extremely difficult. Some guys fall through the cracks but have the talent and work ethic. It would be cool to see those guys get a chance to show their talents and live their dream.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n On comparisons between New York and Los Angeles:<\/p>\n \u201cI love both. In New York, I\u2019ve got my family \u2014 my father, grandmother, my whole Dominican family, my mom\u2019s side too. In LA, my fianc\u00e9e\u2019s family is here. Happy mother-in-law solves a lot of problems.\u201d<\/p>\n On the Knicks\u2019 deadline moves:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate losing someone like Yabu, who was a big part of our locker room. But I\u2019m glad to see him thriving in Chicago. Jose brings a lot of energy. It\u2019s great to have someone who can jolt the game whenever we need it.\u201d<\/p>\n On playing in the World Cup:<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really cool. I think it was the biggest World Cup attendance game of all time. Playing with my mother\u2019s country on my chest, in a different atmosphere, not an NBA game \u2014 that\u2019s something I won\u2019t forget. I\u2019m super happy our country got the win.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n On inspiring the next generation:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s special. I\u2019m honored to be in this position to show the next generation that it\u2019s possible \u2014 to show them where I\u2019ve been successful and where I\u2019ve made mistakes, so they don\u2019t make the same ones and can take this game and this flag to even greater heights.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two Knicks appeared on the All-Star \u201cGame\u201d on Sunday. 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