Tip-off time can’t come soon enough.
But hey, it’s just fewer than 10 hours away, so hang in there.
Here’s the latest ahead of Game 1 tonight.
https://x.com/i/status/2051131319984234549
Mike Brown
On OG Anunoby’s defensive versatility:
“OG is just unique and special. He gives us, like Josh, the ability to throw different defenses at our opponents. He can guard [all five positions], and we always try to mix it up with him. He did that the last series guarding [Hawks center Onyeka] Okongwu at times, and we’ll continue
to try to do it going forward. So wherever we need to adjust, no matter who he’s guarding, at this point in the season, we have a pretty good feel of what we need to do to shore up this area, shore up that area or help him when he’s guarding this point guard or guarding this center.”
On the 76ers’ guards posing problems:
“They’re athletic, quick, dynamic, explosive. They can score from all three levels. They can play the pick-and-roll, they can get out and finish in transition. Maxey is the No. 1 guy in transition in the league. They pose a big problem for us with them on defense.
“They’re really good in passing lanes. Great anticipation, long arms, quick, explosive, great at all those things, which equates to a lot of turnovers for teams. Their guards can give anybody a handful of problems on both ends of the floor.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s importance this series:
“[Robinson] can be big [for us]. Mitch is unique, so no matter who we play, Mitch is extremely important to what we’re trying to do — the way he offensive-rebounds, the way he’s a vertical threat in the pick-and-roll game, the way he protects the rim, his versatility guarding — he can switch onto some ones and some twos. He can’t guard those guys whole possessions, but he can switch onto those guys and make it tough. All that stuff is extremely important for us this series or no matter who we play, so we need him to bring it at a high level, as well as everyone else.”
Jalen Brunson
On building from first-round lessons:
“When you go through a playoff series and you find a way to win, you’re moving on, you see where you’re pushed. You see where you have to get better. You build off that. I think we found a way to build off the two losses that we had. Even going back to Game 1 (of the Hawks series), the way we finished that fourth quarter was how we lost Game 2. When you lose, it’s all about how you evolve and adjust to get better.”
Josh Hart
On Knicks fans traveling to Philadelphia:
“I expect it to be similar, because Knicks fans travel. They’re probably the best fans in the NBA in terms of traveling and going to games. It might be cheaper to do that than go to the Garden. They love New York Knick basketball, they’re passionate about it, and we love it. We need them to come out and support.”
“Knicks fans travel. They are probably the best fans in the NBA in terms of traveling and going to games. Might be cheaper to do that than to go to the Garden. That’s our fans. They love New York and basketball and are passionate about it. We need them to come out and support home games, but obviously on the road.”
On New Yorkers’ persistence:
“Good thing about New Yorkers, man, they’re persistent. They don’t care, bro. They’re going to do it, man. And for a lot of people, everything revolves around money. So, you know, if they get a good price for those tickets, they’re going to sell them, and New Yorkers are passionate about the Knicks and they’re going to come out and show love.”
“Good things about New Yorkers, they are persistent. They are going to do it, man. For a lot of people, everything revolves around money. If they have the tickets, they are going to sell them. New Yorkers are passionate about the Knicks. They are going to come out and show up.”
On how to stop Tyrese Maxey:
“Probably just asking Tyrese to slow down a little bit. That’d be nice. The style defensively is gonna be totally different. CJ, he doesn’t have that quick acceleration at his old age, so you can be a little bit more physical with him. He’s an Unc. Tyrese and Edgecombe, they’re on the young side. They’re quick, they’re explosive, so there’s definitely a different style of defense. Gonna tell them to slow down a little bit so I can get my hands on them and be physical. It’s a fun matchup.”
On first-round wins meaning nothing:
“Not a damn thing, ‘cause that’s not the goal. The goal isn’t to advance through one series or two series. That’s not a goal that we have individuals or as a team. So to be honest, that’s pretty irrelevant. We’ve gotta make sure do what we’re supposed to do and we focus on advancing through this series. Down the road, hopefully we can appreciate that stat but as of right now it’s pretty irrelevant.”
Mitchell Robinson
On the NBA’s reprimand for his post after the Game 6 ejection:
“Honestly, I forgot. I wasn’t paying attention.”
On Joel Embiid ‘dirty player’ talk:
“No, I don’t. I really don’t live in the past. It is what it is. I just move on.”
Nick Nurse
On scouting the Knicks after eliminating Boston:
“What did we go 2-2 against [the Knicks]? Nobody could win at home? Yeah we’ve played them a lot. It seems like it’s been a while now, though, this season. I mean, listen: I think they’re very good. I think their starting lineup is incredible. I think they’ve continued to bolster their bench. I think they can play in a variety of ways: They can play one-big, two bigs. Brunson’s obviously a big problem. The rebounding’s a big problem. [They’re] a much bigger team in general all-around than [the Celtics]. I think they’re very, very good, and it’s gonna be a tremendous challenge.”
