The Knicks will play the on-pace-for-82-wins Bulls in Chicago to kick off their NBA Cup run toward the first mini-title in franchise history this evening.
New York will host the same Unstoppabulls (we’ll see about that after tonight) on Sunday in the second leg of a home-and-home affair versus the Windy City Boys.
Here’s the latest we’ve heard from a bunch of Knickerbockers and a salty Dub.
Mike Brown
On the early-season evaluation period:
“It’ll take some
time. It’s hard to get a true evaluation the first five to 10 games. The first month or month-and-a-half, everybody feels like they have a chance to win it all, and guys are playing hard and engaged and sometimes you have teams that are on top. They’re not going to finish on top because teams are trying to find their way. Come about December or end of November, we should have a pretty good feel.”
On the full rotation coming together:
“Mitch brings a lot to the table. Obviously he hasn’t played in a while, so he’s not going to be Mitch Robinson in the next five games probably, no matter when he plays or how much he plays. But his length, his versatility — being able to guard one through five — his ability to offensive rebound, defensive rebound, he just brings a lot to both ends of the floor. You get a vertical threat offensively and an anchor defensively. That’s hard to replace. He’s a special player at that position.”
On evaluating players and team growth:
“It’ll take some time. It’s hard to get a true evaluation in the first five to 10 games. The first month or month and a half, everybody feels like they have a chance and guys are playing hard and engaged and sometimes you have teams that are on top, they’re not going to finish on top. Because teams are trying to find their way. So we’re just evaluating not just one player, but everybody. Not just the defense, but the offense too. Keep doing that. Come about December or end of November, we should have a pretty good feel.”
On Miles McBride’s absence and impact:
“He does a lot of things on both ends of the floor. His energy is contagious, he’s a two-way player. He can play on the ball, he can play off the ball defensively. He can play on the ball or off the ball offensively. Even though he’s a small guard, his athleticism and power obviously make him a good offensive rebounder. He can defensive rebound too. So there’s a lot he can bring to the table besides scoring that you miss when he’s not around.”
On shot selection and offensive rhythm:
“It’s the process to get the shot. We haven’t had a ton of contested threes, which is a tough shot. I don’t care who is taking it. We’re pushing guys to play at a pace that they’re probably a little bit unfamiliar with, so the shot is a little different. Because your conditioning — not just mentally, but physically — has to be there because you’re going take an open shot. There’s a level of comfort they have to reach before the shots start going in. You can see they’re starting to go in a little bit. And we have the right guys taking the shots. If you’re that wide open, you’ve got to let it fly, because we’ll get a worse shot later in the clock.”
On sustaining execution for 48 minutes:
“I want to win. More than anything else, I want to play the right way and get a little bit better every time. So offensively we were good. And defensively we did a lot of things we talked about in the second. We just didn’t sustain it. We didn’t do it for 48 minutes, and that’s what I talked to the guys about more than anything else.”
On Mikal Bridges’ presence in the locker room:
“To have a guy like Mikal on your roster is unbelievable. It’s not just because he’s a great basketball player and brings a lot of versatility on both ends of the floor, but he’s a fantastic, fantastic human being. You can tell his momma raised him right.”
On expectations for Mitchell Robinson’s return:
“Mitch brings a lot to the table. Obviously he hasn’t played in a while too. So he’s not going to be Mitch Robinson in the next five games probably, no matter when he plays or how much he plays. But his length, his versatility, in terms of being able to guard one through five, his ability to offensive rebound, defensive rebound, he just brings a lot to both ends of the floor. You get a vertical threat offensively and an anchor defensively, that it’s hard to replace because he’s a special player at that position.”
Jalen Brunson
On the Knicks reaching full strength:
“Obviously we may have guys back and we’re starting to get guys back in game shape and in rhythm. It’s great obviously to have everyone back because being at full strength, we can see where we are. There’s no excuse of who’s not here. It’s either we’re good enough or we’re not.”
On navigating lineup changes and injuries:
“You never know what the situation’s gonna be. Guys are gonna be in and out of the rotation. Having that next-man-up mentality is something we have to live by regardless of the situation.”
On maintaining consistency and finishing games:
“Keeping our foot on the gas, finishing strong. We’re starting great and not finishing strong, and that’s gonna be big for us especially against a team that’s hot.”
On the importance of team chemistry and Miles McBride:
“It means more than people realize. Obviously the chemistry we have, the camaraderie, how he is as a teammate means a lot more than what he’s able to do on the court, and he does a lot on the court. We really appreciate the person he is and obviously the player but the person means the most. You never know what the situation is gonna be. Guys are gonna be in and out of the rotation, and having that next man up mentality is something we have to live by regardless of the situation. But obviously we may have guys back and we’re starting to get guys back in game shape and in rhythm. It’s great obviously to have everyone back because being at full strength, we can see where we are, but there’s no excuse of who’s not here. It’s either we’re good enough or not.”
On missed shots and defensive focus:
“It’s a make-or-miss league. But at the same time, we’ve gotta play better defense.”
On team effort and consistency:
“I think we’ve been pretty good defensively for some quarters and parts of the game. We haven’t played a full 48 minutes of offense or defense.”
On supporting Josh Hart amid struggles:
“One thing he does: When he’s locked in and he’s working on everything and he’s focused, it’s a different Josh and you’ve seen it. When we get back to that, it’s just not listening to the outside noise. The fans are talking or whatever and it’s impossible not to see it, but who gives a crap? People are gonna say what they want to say regardless of if we’re playing well or not.”
Miles McBride
On returning from family absence:
“Yeah, I love those guys but I had to be with family. Honestly, just tough on the fam, but that’s part of life.”
On his defensive intensity:
“Just my intensity, I feel like I can always bring that. I feel like we were just flat a little bit at times and a lot of times that starts on the defensive end and I feel like I can bring that.”
On shooting confidence and process:
“We’re getting really good looks, and I think they’re going to fall. I know they’re going to fall. We’ve got to take our time, shoot it with confidence, trust the process, keep making the right plays.”
On shot rhythm and spacing:
“I think they’re great threes obviously. We’re drawing the defense and kicking out. It’s still finding the spots, still finding the rhythm. You’re playing with different guys. You’re going to be — just calm yourself down and shoot it with confidence.”
Mikal Bridges
On mentoring young teammates:
“Throughout the games, my vets just let me be me and gave me confidence. I think it was just being a friend. I knew who Ryan was. Him being friends with me and giving me confidence and compliments was like, ‘Oh, dang!’ When I was in Phoenix, we didn’t have a lot of young guys. I didn’t really have the opportunity to be a vet. But then when I got to Brooklyn, I had the opportunity where I had a lot of young guys. For me, to be a good leader, I want to get close with everyone, get to know them and see what they’re about. It makes it easier when I get on them or coach them because they know it’s coming from love.”
Ariel Hukporti
On Mikal Bridges’ mentorship:
“That was the first vet, when I came in, who took me under his wing right away.”
Tyler Kolek
On Mikal Bridges’ leadership:
“You can see that when he was a younger guy in the league that he had those vets, too. They built a culture of brotherhood. You don’t see that every day in the NBA nowadays. Mikal was so welcoming and teaching us the little things, and not just the basketball stuff. He shows us how to move, how to be a man and be an actual professional.”
On their pregame handshake:
“It just evolved over time. You add one thing, then another and then something else happens to it. We both add to it.”
Pacome Dadiet
On working with Mikal Bridges:
“We live like two minutes from each other. He made it way easier. I want to see what he’s doing on the court.”
Draymond Green
On the Knicks’ title chances:
“The Knicks, I just don’t believe that they’re contenders. I don’t think they have what it takes to win at the highest level. I think you can stifle their offense and make it hard on them. Ultimately, guys that don’t really want to defend make it tough to win at the highest level.”
