Final week of regular-season play for your New York Knickerbockers.
Would you believe it!? Looks like yesterday when we projected the team to win 50-plus games this season, and look at the boys now.
Do you know what else we projected for the playoffs? Uh, oh, time to get frisky!
Mike Brown
On recent losses to playoff teams entering a tough four-game stretch:
“You gotta give Charlotte, Oklahoma City and Houston credit, they played well. I said it postgame, we did not play well in some areas. … We didn’t play well in those three games and we deserved to lose, as much as you hate to say it. And hopefully we’ll play better going forward because we’ve got a couple of teams above .500, so we’ll see.”
On the Knicks’ playoff readiness:
“You always want your team to be playing at the highest of high cylinders. Do I think we’re there right now? No. Do I have belief in this team? Yes, I do. I’ve seen us play really good basketball throughout the course of the year. Even in games where there’s quote-unquote manufactured pressure (such as the NBA Cup). We’ve played really good basketball. I like what we have in that locker room and I like the things that we’ve done this year, but I expect more from myself first and everybody else second.”
On trusting the Knicks performing under the bright lights:
“All games you want to win, but when you go into Boston, it’s different than maybe going into another arena. Or if you go into OKC, it’s different than going into another arena. Those types of games, there’s a lot of manufactured pressure just because they’re good teams and it’s on national TV and all that good stuff. So to get that (environment) and to be able to perform at a pretty good level – you embrace that opportunity. You want to win all games, but to win those games – our guys have done (well) in those situations over the course of the year. So my belief is, (with) this group going into the playoffs when it’s real, that our guys will rise to the occasion.”
On his planned backup guard rotation:
“I went with the combination of Landry (Shamet) and (Miles McBride) as the backup point guards. We got those two guys out there; I wanted to take a look at that. Jose has done a fantastic job for us, but part of it is that we haven’t had a lot of healthy guards. Jose stepped in and did a nice job. (McBride) is getting healthier, and Landry is getting healthy. I’m trying to find minutes for those guys, because those guys are capable of playing that spot. That’s going to be a priority for me, because they’ve proven themselves for us.”
On OG Anunoby’s recent stretch:
“That’s who he is, in my opinion. He’s an All-Star player. He’s definitely first-team All-Defense, and he’s just showing what he’s capable of because he’s just imposing his will on the game. When he does that with the talent and [feel for the game] that he has, he’s an All-Star-caliber player.”
On Landry Shamet’s playmaking ability:
“He’s a good enough ball handler, he has a good enough feel/IQ to initiate the offense. And then conceptually, because of his feel and the other guys’ feel, we’re able to generate some things offensively. We’re not relying on him to be a traditional point guard. He and Deuce are more than capable of doing the things that we’re asking in terms of initiating the offense. And then at the end of the day, can they play pick-and-roll, can they play the game, get downhill and spray the ball or throw the lob to a guy like Mitch? I think he can.”
Josh Hart
On the final four-game stretch:
“For us, I think it’s just making sure we’re locked in and focused. Obviously, this is a good little stretch to end the season to make sure we’re as sharp as we can be going into the playoffs. The past is the past, nothing you can do about it now. Our focus is on tomorrow being 1–0 against playoff teams, and then we move on to the next one, and then we want to be 1–0, and then we want to move onto the next one and be 1–0. Nothing in the past really matters. It’s about what we do moving forward that we’ll be judged on and what we judge ourselves on.”
On flipping a switch in the playoffs:
“It’s not something you can just flip a switch in the playoffs and say, ‘OK the playoffs are here, let’s go out there and do our thing,’ We gotta make sure that we take these next four games as serious as we can, make sure we lock in mentally and physically to what the game plan is and to what this team wants to do moving forward and execute.”
On OG Anunoby’s impact:
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s someone who on any given day can go out and score 25. It makes us more dynamic because obviously you have to game-plan for Jalen Brunson. We got Karl-Anthony Towns you have to game-plan for. And you have to game-plan for someone like OG, so it adds another element to our offense. When he’s locked in offensively and defensively, he’s one of the best two-way players in the league.”
On Anunoby’s aggressiveness:
“He’s starting to fully understand his areas where he can be aggressive within the offense and within the flow of the game. And that’s one thing about Mike. Mike never tells us not to do something. He wants us to be aggressive. He wants us to shoot shots. He doesn’t really put limits on us. And I think OG is really starting to understand, ‘OK, where can I be aggressive? And where can I find my spots to go score?’ He’s an efficient scorer. Physical, athletic. So he’s starting to understand that.”
Landry Shamet
On the importance of the Knicks’ late-season stretch:
“It’s a challenging stretch that not a lot of people talk about. This last stretch of the season, these last few games, you’re kind of gearing up for the playoffs, you know what you’re building for, but you gotta be here and locked in each night, each team, each challenge in front of you. I think it’s more about approaching each game with the right mentality. Make it more about us than who we’re playing. We’re working on something bigger and building for something bigger, keeping that top of mind while still taking each game seriously and approaching them as you should.”
On his Knicks opportunity:
“I don’t take these moments for granted, man. This thing’s delicate, I know that. It’s a special team, special market, special opportunity and just to wear the jersey even. I’m grateful and happy to be a part of this group and have Mike’s trust and my teammates’ trust. I trust in them as well. Super grateful for it.”
Miles McBride
On returning in time for the playoffs:
“Everything, honestly. It’s a tough thing to be out so long, having a surgery in the middle of the season.”
On his recovery process:
“It’s really just a part of the recovery process. It’s just kind of like a tweak, and it’s a painful tweak. It’s not necessarily as bad, it’s just sometimes you can’t really do anything about it. It’s like someone stabbing your groin, hip and ab at the same time. It’s not fun. But I’ll get back right.”
OG Anunoby
On Jordy McClarkson’s healing powers:
“Jordan healed my wrist. It was crazy. I’m very thankful.”
