The schedule won’t give the Knicks a break as New York visits the Celtics on Friday to fight old pal Mitch Robinson in Beantown.
New York’s off to a losing start to their title-defense season, and going against the also-winless Leprechauns won’t make things easier.
Here’s the latest from your beloved Knickerbockers.
Mike Brown
On Andre Drummond’s performance in the Knicks’ season opener against the 76ers:
“I thought he played with a lot of bounce, energy, in the first half on both ends
of the floor. We probably ran him too long because it looked like in the second half, not just him but especially our five starters, it looked like he ran out of a little bit of gas. I gotta keep getting to know him to see where the minutes may lie for him to be effective. But I thought he was really, really, really good in the first half.”
On Mitchell Robinson signing with the Celtics and facing him on Friday:
“You’re excited for anybody that’s able to help their situation or family, in life, and Boston gave him a nice deal. And so, you want nothing but the best for him because you know him, and he’s a great, great, great dude. But you wanna beat him at the end of the day.
“So it’s gonna be exciting to see him because of the type of person he is and what we all went through together last year. But at the end of the day, we want to kick his [butt] like he probably wants to kick ours.”
On whether the Knicks might use the Hack-a-Mitch strategy against Mitchell Robinson:
“Me personally, I’ve always leaned more to do that come playoff time or later in the season where you’re really trying to gameplan and get certain games. Right now, I want to see if we can defend these guys with what our foundation is.
“If at some point throughout the course of the game it happens, it happens, but right now I’m just trying to think about communice, be physical without foul, no blow-bys, contest and finish every shot, ball pressure—trying to establish a foundation.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns needing to stop drawing unnecessary fouls:
“Some guys, I say, ‘go try to get fouled,’ Nah nah nah. KAT: You’re a freaking perennial All-Star. So just make the bucket, and if he happens to foul you, then great. When you do those types of [foul-baiting] things, it shortens your opportunities to pick up a foul when you’re boxing out or trying to get a rebound and stuff like that, so that’s the stuff we want to try to eliminate from his game.”
On Towns’ improvement with fouls last season:
“To his credit, he got better as [last] year went along. This is a new year, new team, new challenges.”
On allowing Towns to make mistakes while adjusting to the new season:
“I don’t want him to take 10 steps backwards, but if he takes a couple steps backwards and he’s gotta figure it out, I’m OK with it.”
“There was a three that he shot with Maxey closing out to him. He stuck his leg out. He’s a good enough player to where he doesn’t need to look for and/or try to draw the foul. Just make the basket.”
Andre Drummond
On staying in the locker room during the Knicks’ championship ceremony:
“I feel like I gotta earn it. I don’t want to experience something that I wasn’t there for.
“I want to be able to experience that [celebration] because I was a part of it. I let those guys have their moment.”
On hearing Knicks fans chant his name at Madison Square Garden:
“It was pretty surreal. Just the energy of the arena, just because of how hard I was working, how hard I was playing, just to hear it, I can’t even really explain it. I got chills. Something you live for as a player, hearing the fans be behind you.
“This arena’s electric. Just doing hard work and aggressive plays gets the crowd going, so it gets me going too.”
On learning Mike Brown’s system and adjusting to his coaching style:
“I think it’s been fun for both of us because, obviously, yes, he’s still trying to get to know me and vice versa, I’m trying to get to know him as a coach. I think we surprise each other on a daily basis on the different things that I’m capable of doing as a player. And obviously, the way his coaching style is too, the freedom I have too, is a little bit different. It’s like a tug-and-pull every time we step on the floor with each other. … It’s cool to have the freedom to play the way I want to play, be able to use my experience and my veteran leadership to play the way I want to play but also play the way he wants me to.”
On feeling welcomed by his new Knicks teammates:
“This is a great team. Great core group. They’ve done a great job of incorporating me into the group and making me feel like I’m one of them.”
On being prepared to step in when Karl-Anthony Towns gets into foul trouble:
“I’m always ready when the moment comes. Obviously, we want KAT to play but whenever my number’s called, I always try to be prepared to go.”
Josh Hart
On the Knicks’ 0-1 start and the importance of learning from mistakes:
“It’s Game 1. It means literally nothing. We don’t want to be the best version of ourselves game one – if we are, it’s going to be a long season. A lot of mistakes that we have to learn from.”
On the emotional significance of the Knicks’ championship celebration:
“Something like that, it has a special place in your heart. Now, we’re happy that all of that’s over with and we can fully turn the page and focus on this year.”
On receiving his championship ring in front of Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden:
“It was super dope. A moment you dream of.”
On how the Knicks’ locker room has changed since Mitchell Robinson’s departure:
“It’s definitely different. Obviously that’s someone who’s had a big presence here, big presence in the locker room…No one else listens to country [music] but me, so that’s tough in the weight room. The lack of his presence is obviously felt a little bit. That’s why it’s a new team.”
On the Celtics potentially assigning Robinson to guard him:
“They cross match a lot, so I’m sure he’ll be guarding me, so can’t wait to shoot in that… When I make a couple, I’m gonna let him know.”
On what he expects from the Knicks going against Mitch:
“It’s gonna be the same thing. We’re still gonna be battling for rebounds.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On facing former Knicks teammate Mitchell Robinson and the Celtics:
“It’s bittersweet. You love Mitch — we’ve done so many historical things together here.
“To not see him in a Knicks jersey anymore…we’re a family unit. To not be able to have him with us on this journey after that amazing journey we went through is bittersweet.
“But it’s going to be amazing to be able to see our brother, hug him, show him some love and compete playing basketball like we love to do. We made each other better. He brought the best out of me, and I feel that I was able to bring the best out of him.
“Mitch was a big part of this team winning a championship and probably has the most important offensive rebound in Knicks history.”
On needing to avoid foul trouble and remain available for his teammates:
“All jokes have some truth to it, right? I never want to put my team in that kind of position — I have to do a better job, not only in the regular season but in the postseason, to make sure I’m available for my team.”
Mitchell Robinson
On facing the Knicks for the first time since signing with the Celtics:
“It doesn’t matter that I’m playing my former team. It’s more so just trying to bounce back from what happened two days ago. It’s basketball, it’s a business. Got to play the team just like you play any other team.”
On not watching the Knicks’ championship ring ceremony:
“I didn’t watch it. I mean, I was still stuck in my head (about the opening-day loss)… I’m proud of those guys. Obviously I was a part of it. Didn’t really want to watch it.”
On defending Jalen Brunson and approaching his former teammates like any other opponent:
“Just here to play basketball. Same thing I’ll do with any other team, same thing I’ll do with them. It’s just all about basketball.”
On using the Celtics’ season-opening loss as motivation:
“I use it as fuel, kinda have to. Last game we got demolished. As a big, can’t let that happen. I gotta take that on the chin and learn from it, watch the film, and get better, and just focus on the next one.”
LeBron James
On witnessing the Knicks’ championship ceremony after experiencing a similar moment in Cleveland:
“It was a great night for New York fans. Obviously, it’s something… 50+ years. I was a part of that at one point where we hadn’t won a major championship in Cleveland in over 50 years. The fans will never forget this moment, will never forget that championship run.
“We were happy that we were just able to come and play on such a historical night, a historical building, and play the game we love.”
On defending Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns:
“Obviously, KAT is very dangerous when he has space. Anytime JB is handling the ball with KAT popping, it creates a long closeout for guys trying to get to that shot.”
