New York so good they can win games in two quarters and change.
Philly so bad they can’t even beat the Knicks’ bench mob in a garbage-time war.
Here’s the latest after Game 1.
Mike Brown
On the team’s Game 1 performance:
“I thought it was a really good game by our guys.”
On
his offensive concepts clicking in the playoffs:
“It’s a lot of fun when you have concepts on either end of the floor and guys are trying to embrace those concepts at the highest level. When they do, it doesn’t really matter what you call or initiates the action because guys are trying to play the right way. It can be any team out on the floor. If they’re trying to embrace what you’re throwing out there, sacrificing, all of that other stuff, it can be a lot of fun to watch.”
On Philadelphia’s record with Embiid and Maxey playing together:
“A lot of people when they look at this they see, I think they were seventh [in the East]. They see seven versus three and they automatically assume we’ll win. When that combination was on the floor together, they won I think almost 65% of their games. They were on pace to be almost a 60-win team . . . That’s better than us record-wise. They’re completely healthy. It’s going to be a tough series.”
On the foul trouble in Game 1:
“It was a good game by our guys. We have to be better with our fouling. We can’t expect them to shoot 34 [free throws]. They doubled us in free throw attempts.”
On Mikal Bridges defending Tyrese Maxey:
“He didn’t shut Maxey down. Maxey missed some shots, and our team defense behind him was pretty good. But the one thing that I give Mikal a lot of credit for is his alertness and his ability to have multiple efforts when guarding Maxey because Maxey is similar to [Stephen Curry], where he’s constantly moving, especially when it comes to the two-man game with [Joel] Embiid. You can’t ever relax. And Mikal did as good as he could, trying to stay with him whether he was moving or when he gave up the basketball.”
On Jalen Brunson attacking the drop coverage:
“Our guys did a good job of setting screens for him, and Jalen’s pace and his change of speed, all that stuff with the basketball, was really good. They like to play in the drop, and [Brunson] was able to come off and get a couple of pocket 3s because we had good screens. When he did that, they’d come up the floor a little bit, and he was able to get by them.”
Jalen Brunson
On the improved focus and detail:
“I just feel like our focus has been better. Our attention to detail has been better. Honestly, I think those two are very important for us. We gotta continue to do so. Yes, it’s turned into big wins. But that attention to detail will help us in the close wins as well.”
On Mikal Bridges’ impact:
“He’s a huge factor for us and he’s been playing great. There are times throughout the season when every player has his ups and downs, but he stays mentally strong and he stays mentally focused. He comes into work and does his work and his routine and all that stuff. As long as you keep chipping away, things are going to fall in your favor.”
On not overreacting to Game 1:
“Honestly, you’ve got to take this game with a grain of salt. I don’t think we’re going to see that team that we saw in Game 1 in Game 2. They’re going to be ready to go.”
On resetting after a blowout:
“It’s only one game. We start the next game 0-0.”
On passionate Knicks and Sixers fans:
“One thing I know about Philly fans is they’re very passionate. One thing about Knicks fans is they’re very passionate as well. I think the real fans from both teams are gonna show up and support.”
Josh Hart
On Game 1:
“We played full game of Knicks basketball.”
On getting more catch-and-shoot chances:
“If it’s similar to what it was in the past, I’ll probably have as many catch-and-shoot opportunities as I want. I’ve got to go out there, shoot the ball with confidence. I’m a good shooter, I know I’m a good shooter. I trust my work.”
On the Knicks’ offensive growth through trial and error:
“A lot of trial and error. Seeing what works, seeing what doesn’t. We’re being unselfish. I think that’s the biggest thing. With where we’re at right now, everyone is unselfish. We’re willing to sacrifice individual numbers and stats for the betterment of the team. When we do that, we’re playing our best basketball.”
On how to deal with Philly going forward:
“We want to play a little fast, so being physical, getting stops, pushing the pace, doing those kinds of things is something we’re trying to do, and we’ve got to keep it up. We need to make sure we’re focused on Game 2 and mentally locked in… They’re definitely gonna come out aggressive.”
On the key to the Knicks’ world-beating form:
“Where we’re at right now, everyone is being unselfish. We’re willing to sacrifice individual numbers and stats for the betterment of the team. And when we do that, we’re playing our best basketball. Being unselfish, that’s the biggest thing.”
OG Anunoby
On peaking late in the season:
“You always want to peak later in the season, so this is the process of the year. We’re starting to click, and hopefully getting better and better. We’re a really tough team with threats all over the place. It’s very hard to guard.”
On playing to his standard:
“I think I work on my game very hard, and my teammates are finding me. I think I’m just playing the way I expect to play.”
On continuing to improve:
“There’s still room for improvement on both sides. Never be satisfied. You always want to improve.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On the culmination of the never-ending regular-season tinkering:
“I think right now, we’re seeing the culmination of the trials and tribulations that we went through in the regular season.”
On quarterbacking the offense:
“I just love that I get to get my teammates involved and I get a chance to quarterback the offense and put them in positions where I feel they can succeed. They’re trusting me more with the ball right now, and I want to continue to repay their trust with the right plays and make the right decisions.”
On executing Brown’s system:
“I think we’re doing a good job of executing what we want to do and a better understanding of the new system. We’re doing a great job of cutting and bringing energy to our cuts and putting ourselves into positions where we can succeed.”
On the need for three more wins after starting on the right foot:
“We’re playing well, but it doesn’t mean anything if we can’t find a way to get three more wins.”
On hoping this is their best version of the Knicks:
“I would hope so, that’s the hope. You hope that at this time you’re the best version of ourselves. For all the guys who’ve been covering us all year, I’ve always talked about that, getting better one percent every single day. At the end, we need to be proud and happy of the result we bring in the playoffs. I think right now we’re seeing a culmination of the trials and tribulations we went through in the season to be at this point.”
On how the Knicks got here:
“For us to be executing at this level speaks to the unity our team has right now. The sacrifice being made by all of us for the greater good of the team. You see it even in a game like Game 6 in Atlanta, it was just a total team effort. I think tonight as well was a total team effort, everyone came to execute our game plan and I thought we did a great job of executing.”
Nick Nurse
On the truth behind Game 1:
“They were obviously picking us apart.”
On the Knicks’ dominant Game 1:
“They had it going. They were really great tonight. They’re a great team and they were really great tonight.”
On reviewing past matchups before the series:
“You look back, certainly some stuff you can take from it. You try to get as current as you can with what they’re doing in the playoffs. They had their ups and downs, finished on a huge up. You try to take anything from what Atlanta was doing, see what changes they made from game to game.”
On turnovers and playoff physicality overwhelming them in Game 1:
“It was super physical. I think they played really physical. We did get to the line some, but I thought in that same kind of run, I think we had three turnovers, and they were just kind of on-ball.”
On committing costly mistakes on Monday:
“You can’t do that in the playoffs.”
On the blowout loss feeling inevitable:
“It was too easy for them. I didn’t think we handled it great. It wasn’t any fun to be a part of. To sit and watch.”
On pulling Joel Embiid in the third quarter:
“I took him out because there was no sense in getting tireder than we were.”
On the team’s overall performance:
“It was a pretty tough night for everybody. I didn’t think we shot it particularly well, but I don’t think we generated nearly as good of shots.”
Joel Embiid
On not getting as many free throws as he thinks he should have:
“I don’t know. You got to ask Jalen Brunson (about why he got more free throws). I don’t think I got to the free throw [line] as much as as I wanted, but that’s not, that’s not the reason, you know, why we lost. We just gotta think defense was the biggest reason. We just weren’t connected enough, not physical enough. All the guys were just too comfortable. So, yeah. I’m only focused about what we could have done better on defensive back.”
“It doesn’t matter if we would’ve lost by one or 40 or 50. It doesn’t matter. A loss is a loss. But I think it just starts with playing harder.”
On Mikal Bridges’ ribcage-hit:
“I don’t think that [play] was necessary, (but) it’s playoff basketball. If that’s the reality of it, I guess we’ve got to go out and be physical, too, and do it, too.”
