Believe it or not, the NBA Draft is just two days away.
Perks of winning the championship, I guess.
Here’s the latest from across Knicks nation.
Jose Alvarado
On the issues with Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs:
“They came out hot. They came out and played. There is a lot of pressure for New York. No matter what people say or how people feel, as players you feel it a little bit. So Atlanta was hooping and they were doing a great job. We were in a close game with Atlanta, we should not be. And they had nothing
to lose. We had everything else to lose.”
On the pressure the Knicks felt:
“So, we are in a close game like, we got to close this out. We got to figure it out. It was so staggering that we were trying to figure it out that we were putting so much pressure on ourselves.”
On the meeting that changed the Hawks series:
“And then it was time when we had a meeting and it was like, OG Pat Ewing talked to us like, listen, we have been here before, let us do this. And after that, we just woke up and we never looked back.”
On teams elevating their play against the Knicks:
“When you play the Knicks, everybody plays good. Role players, the stars, it is just like, we play the Knicks, now we are turning up.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On nearly quitting basketball for baseball:
“I remember telling my dad one time, ‘I really want to quit basketball and play baseball.’ That was the Dominican in me for sure, Howard, I’m not going to lie to you.”
On wanting to be a Yankees player:
“I just wanted to play nothing but baseball, I wanted to be a Yankee. It was something completely different to not have been the best at something, and to continue to have to prove to people that I could be as good or even better than who they say is the best.”
On his love for baseball:
“I was just able to go out there and have a bunch of fun and the pure joy of the sport.”
On returning to basketball:
“I will never forget, my childhood friends called me and they were saying there was an AAU basketball tournament to play, and they really missed playing basketball with me. And [they asked] if I would just join that weekend to play because I didn’t have a baseball tournament. They brought me back to the love of playing basketball, and I came back to the game and played my freshman year, I was back on the scene playing basketball and found myself back here, now as a New York Knick and as a champion.”
Karl Towns Sr.
On why New York embraced Karl-Anthony Towns:
“Because he’s humble, caring, loving. And he wanted to bring something to New York that they’ve been thirsting for 53 years. When he puts on that jersey, he knew every time he put it on he was representing his mother, the city, and he wanted to give them a chance to be where they were yesterday.”
On how he’d define KAT:
“I call him a perfectionist. Everything had to be right. He always was reading, he always was knowledgeable and stuff, and he was very, very on point, so when you talk to him you have to have all your facts because he already knew what the right answer would be. To this day he’s the same way.”
On his son’s personality:
“Extremely humble. He takes everything to heart. He wants the best for everyone. He just wants to be a friend to you. He’s not arrogant, none of that. He’s down to earth. He’s relatable to anybody, it don’t matter who you are.”
On Towns’ first game as a Knick:
“Magical moment. Because to me it was the moment — it was a full circle thing. It didn’t happen to me, it happened to him.”
On fulfilling Jacqueline Cruz-Towns’ dream:
“But to know that when he walked out there in that uniform that night he represented … and this was his mother always wanted him to be — represent the New York Knicks and play in New York. To me it was an emotional night because he fulfilled her dream. She wasn’t here … but she was here. Because she’s part of him.”
Jeremy Lin
On the Knicks’ identity:
“It’s team and its grit, right? The team starts with [Jalen] Brunson giving up 113 million. The team starts, you know, in college, them learning how to win, them dealing with pressure, them being clear-minded and focused in the clutch in endgame situations, getting used to that.”
On Mike Brown’s impact:
“Also, a lot of credit to Mike Brown coming in, the atmosphere, the culture, the way they talk about each other – you can just feel it. You can feel they really love each other, they root for each other… They just don’t care about individual stats. And the grit, every time someone needs to step up, somebody does. Whether it’s OG or Mikal or Josh Hart, even Alvarado.
“They always have somebody that steps up and makes a difference and so really just their ability to create winning plays that’s something it just feels like every time it’s close, the Knicks are going to find a way.”
