You couldn’t have written it any better.
Knicks vs. Spurs.
Smells like 1999 revenge.
Mike Brown
On Leon Rose and James Dolan building the Knicks into a Finals team:
“Leon and his staff have done a freakin’ fantastic, fantastic job. I can even take it a step further — it doesn’t happen if Mr. Dolan wants to keep his hands in his pocket and not allow Leon to go do his work.”
On Jay Wright’s influence on the Villanova players and how it benefits the Knicks:
“Man, you can
tell Coach Wright has instilled a lot of great qualities in all of these guys. They’re selfless. They all have a competitive spirit. They’re all about the right stuff, and they’re great human beings to be around. So I’m sure it wasn’t just Coach Wright who helped raise them, but to be able to play for him and have that continue at the highest level while competing for championships in college definitely made my job easier. When you have guys like that and those guys are the leaders of your team, we were talking about all of them, and then it rubs off on everybody else, and it just makes for a fantastic environment to be a part of.”
On maintaining composure and connectivity during scoring runs:
“There are maybe times when you’re open during those runs and somebody misses you and you can’t get pissed, because if you get pissed, now your emotions and your energy are someplace else or focused on something else as opposed to what you need to do defensively and all that other stuff.”
On the unpredictability of momentum in games:
“Anything and everything out of the ordinary can happen [during runs], and you gotta rely on those intangibles to make sure you stay locked in.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On the team’s growth since last season:
“Anytime you’re playing NBA basketball, it’s difficult to win. For us, it’s been a process. When [my] trade happened, obviously things happened quick and success came pretty quick, but it was not the success that we envisioned. I’m glad that this year, we’re seeing ourselves start to mature and round out what the vision was from day one.”
On extending scoring runs during the playoffs:
“It’s great when you can kinda have those moments in the game where everything’s clicking, and I think what’s great about us and what this run has shown is that when we get on those runs, we continue to extend those runs for a long period of time. So our ability to stay focused and stay in that zone has helped us tremendously in this playoff, and it’s a lot of the reason why we’re sitting here in this chair today talking about NBA Finals.”
On trusting the full roster entering the Finals amid the Mitch concerns:
“Whatever the picture ends up being, us having those trials and tribulations for the last two years where things weren’t looking good — just like at the end of December with the 2-9, 11-game stretch. It shows that we have resilience and we’ll go out there and we trust everyone in this locker room. And if this playoff run has shown anything, I feel, to the fans and the media, one through 15 can go out there, put a Knicks jersey on and get the job done. And we truly believe in that. So this is a situation that we’ve garnered enough experience and enough trust in each other that whatever the picture ends up being when we step on that court Wednesday, we feel comfortable.”
Jalen Brunson
On Jay Wright’s emphasis on always having the right attitude at Villanova:
“One thing he always [stressed], it’s plastered on every wall, every shirt, the inside of our jerseys, everything, was attitude. Controlling your attitude. I don’t really say that as much as I used to, but I think my kind of twist on it is being able to control what you can control. Controlling your attitude, controlling your effort, those are the things you can control, and that’s something he said every day. That’s how we ended huddles, that’s how we started games, practices. It’s kind of what his motto was, and once we believed in it, everything became easier.”
Jose Alvarado
On his plans for the parade if the Knicks win the title:
“If we win, I’m gonna be drunk for eight days. I’m gonna let y’all know right now.”
On never expecting to play for the Knicks:
“Nah, nah, I didn’t really think of that. I didn’t think none of this. I didn’t think I was going to be playing for the Knicks.”
Mitchell Robinson
On thanking supporters after his injury came to light:
“I can’t thank you guys enough for the love and support most of you bring especially at a time like this in my life. It makes everything I’m fighting for 100x easier to deal with.”
On his haters:
“The ones that want to see me down and hurt all I gotta say for you is f–k you. And last the ones that say they love and care about me but can’t be there for me when I need them but I’m always there when they need me god will get you.”
Kyrie Irving
On the Knicks reaching the NBA Finals and their fanbase bringing da ruckus:
“The Knicks making the Finals is OD… a lot of those Knicks fans in New York are gonna go bonkers, man. It’s gonna be one of those ones. You just gotta gear up for it if you’re on the East Coast, man. They done made it to the NBA Finals, they done earned their ticket, they did everything that they could in the regular season to prepare.”
Victor Wembanyama
On having a chance to win the NBA championship:
“Winning the Larry O’Brien [trophy], it’s a childhood dream, and having a real shot at it, having a chance, tangible chance at winning it, realizing a dream, you know — it’s a chance. It’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it’s gonna happen again. The day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s gonna be an amazing day of realization of the dream. It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life. I want to win so bad. It’s like my life depends on it.”
On realizing a childhood dream after reaching the Finals:
“Realizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true. Even though I’m still hungry for one more, this feeling is — I can’t explain it. It’s so powerful.”
Julian Champagnie
On thinking his NBA career might be over after being waived:
“I thought it was over. I ain’t gonna lie to you. We’re always told how small the window is to get into the league, stay there, and make a career for yourself. Getting waived with no warning, no nothing, explanation or anything, it was tough. It was tough for a 23-year-old kid trying to go out there and chase my dreams, telling myself, ‘You can do this.’”
On landing in San Antonio and finding his role:
“My agent told me it could be anywhere. Obviously, it ended up being San Antonio. I put my head down and decided to make it work… And find that spot on the team. Just fit in where I can. It’s been treating me good so far.”
On gratitude toward the Spurs organization:
“I love my teammates, I love the coaching staff, and everybody in the organization. It’s a great place to be, and there’s no better place that I could be in. Big, big shout out to the San Antonio Spurs taking an opportunity for a kid from Brooklyn.”
On returning to Madison Square Garden for the Finals:
“That’s every kid’s dream, that’s every kid’s dream. I remember my first time actually playing in The Garden, I was at St. John’s, and I was just like in awe of how much greatness has gone through there and what that means to a kid from the city. Being that now we get to go play them for a championship? That’s personal, that’s personal. I get to go home. Obviously, to see family. I get to play in front of a lot of my family. My family hasn’t come to no games yet, I’ve been keeping it strictly basketball right now. When the Knicks made the championship, I tell them, I said, ‘When we get this done, you guys can come to every game if you want to, so what.’ It’s up the block, I’ve passed by there so many times, I’ve played there so many times. Being able to go back there and compete for a championship? There’s no better feeling, no better feeling.”
On not being worried about Knicks fans traveling:
“I don’t think we’re too worried about the fans. Obviously, me being from New York, I know how they get. So there’s a little bit of that in me. I don’t think we’re too worried about their fans. We have great fans down in San Antonio. I’m 100 percent sure that the same way Knicks fans will travel, San Antonio fans will travel. So I’m not too worried about fans and stuff like that, we’re gonna make sure it gets done.”
Dylan Harper
On playing the Knicks in the NBA Finals at The Garden:
“It’s going to be a fun one. I think they kind of got us in the [NBA] Cup, like you said, got us when we went there. We pulled out a close one at home. I think for us it comes down to doubling down on what we’re good at… I feel like it’s a great matchup. For me, my dream has been always to play in The Garden in the NBA Finals and I get to do that my first year. I’m not gonna take nothing for granted.”
On the Finals matchup against New York feeling like a dream come true:
“I’ve been to so many Knicks playoff games, Knicks games. I live 25-30 minutes from the arena. I know there’s going to be a whole lot of tickets I’ll be asked for, but my phone’s going to be off for that. It’s a dream come true, it’s a blessing. It’s kind of where I’ve always wanted to play at for the Finals. I think that if you would have told this last year, I would have told you you’re crazy. I think that you kind of go through what you go through to get to moments like this. I’ve kind of just been steadying, just wanting wants best for me.”
Mike Breen
On why New York loves the Knicks:
“It’s always been a basketball town. This is why I fell in love with basketball, and I’m certain a lot of Knicks fans, too. There’s just something about the team aspect of the sport. Five players working together. The whole is better than the sum of its parts — I’ve always loved that phrase. And this Knicks team is exactly that. And there’s just something special about that building, whether you’re there watching or you’re watching at home. There’s an electricity to that place that’s just truly amazing. … And I think this particular Knicks team, because there were so many years of darkness, that to feel this way about a team, knowing that they have a legitimate shot of winning a championship, these fans have been just so hungry for so many years and stayed loyal despite that, they just feel like they’re being rewarded. The electricity in the city about them and the vibe in the city about ’em is crazy. It’s incredible the joy that the Knicks fans have. And the fact that all three games on the road that they clinched, in Atlanta, in Philadelphia, in Cleveland, the thousands of Knicks fans at each of those games, shows you how much they care and how long they’ve waited for a team like this to root for.”
