It’s another day of suffering for those hooked to Knicks basketball.
No game today, which means you should go outside and get some fresh air.
Here’s the latest from Coach Brown and a couple other Knickerbockers.
Mike Brown
On Mitchell Robinson’s uniqueness on the glass:
“I don’t know if there’s anyone that has the combination of athleticism, length, nose
for the ball and all that that Mitch does. I’ve been around some great offensive rebounders, but I don’t think anybody like Mitch.”
On fixing three-point defense:
“We’re getting a little better with it. There’s a couple of things technique-wise that we could do better. Even if you don’t feel like you can get a great contest, still put a hand up and contest — that’s the first thing. The second thing is we were doing a great job of protecting one another and scrambling and trying to close out. But sometimes, we’re closing out so hard we’re overrunning guys, and then that side-step dribble three is available.”
On the offense reaching “Level 1” and beyond:
“They’re a little higher than Level 1 because you can see when we get discombobulated from time to time, we fall into the correct spacing and we’re able to keep the ball humming or keep the ball moving. We’re getting better, I think we’re past the initial stages.”
On what “Level 2” should look like:
“When we do catch [the ball], we’re not holding it, holding it, holding it, holding it, so the defense can load up and take us out of our stuff. So when quick decisions happen all the time and when we’re constantly touching the paint and we’re spacing the right way… when we’re doing those things at a pretty high level but pretty quickly, then we’ll start feeling pretty good about ourselves.”
On tuning out outside narratives:
“We lost three in a row and the world was falling apart around us and that was everyone’s mindset outside of our locker room. But our guys stayed here and they knew they weren’t playing well and that if we do the things we’re supposed to do consistently, we’ll figure it out. So never get too high, never get too low, try to stay even-keeled.”
On consistency being a separator:
“That’s one of my jobs is to help this team understand how great it can be and a big part of greatness is consistency. There are a lot of talented individuals in this world, forget basketball, even in your guys’ world, but they might not be consistent in their approach or in their work ethic or in this or that, and so they might not be great at their job. So as one of the leaders of this team, one of my jobs is to make sure I continue to try to push the group to be consistent in whatever we’re trying to do so we can be great.”
Josh Hart
On conceding he’s not the Knicks’ best rebounder:
“I always went back and forth with Mitch, saying I was the best rebounder on the team. I don’t think I was correct on that one. I’m man enough to say I was wrong. But man, Mitch… Mitch is just a freak.”
On the offense’s foundation:
“We’re building a good foundation, a foundation of guys being able to have freedom, be able to make reads and react without the ball and use screens. That’s good. Obviously the more and more games that we have under our belt, the more we understand the system, the more those things can really kick in.”
On slowly-but-surely understanding Brown’s system despite cold spells:
“I think we understand [the offense]. I think we’ve got smart guys. I don’t think there’s a certain number — like we put up 137, I don’t think that’s like, okay, we understand it. There’s going to be another game, hopefully not soon, where we put up like 98 and we still understand it, but we’re just not making shots. We’re where we want to be.”
On three-point defense variance making it easier on the Knicks:
“Teams are making shots. It’s the NBA, man — it goes in flows. We’ve played eight games, the next eight games we could have the best 3-point defense. It might not be because our defense is great, but just because some teams miss shots. As long as we’re flying around defensively, contesting shots, doing all we can, then we’re gonna live with the outcome, no matter what that outcome is.”
On respecting every opponent, even the Nets:
“I don’t even know how Brooklyn’s doing this year. I don’t know if they’re winning, losing, whatever it is. … If you don’t respect guys in the league, that’s when you’re going to find yourself on the losing column of games you should be winning.”
Jalen Brunson
On Mitchell Robinson’s offensive-rebounding gravity:
“Dude is just a monster, honestly. I saw the stat. He affects the game in so many different ways. When shots are going up, he needs two people boxing him out. Then you’ve got Josh flying in, Mikal flying in, OG flying in, KAT flying in — we’re getting another crack at it because of Mitch’s gravity. What he does on both sides of the ball is huge for us.”
On the need for better perimeter defense:
“We have to close out better, obviously. Being able to contain the ball better is definitely gonna help our group on defense. We’ve gotta stick to our technique and get better at it, and obviously limit the disadvantages on defense.”
On moving from “Level 1” to “Level 2” offensively:
“I think the understanding of Level One is good, it’s really good. I think we understand it, then we gotta get to the point where we’re just reacting. We’re a little hesitant on things. If something is wrong that we’re doing, but we go hard and do it with conviction, it doesn’t look like it’s wrong. It’s another thing in the offense that’s random. And then all of a sudden we’re at an advantage. We’re getting better at it. We’re looking at it every single day. Just gotta continue to be on the same page together.”
On what defines that “Level 2”:
“Reacting to things. Once we get to the point where we know every single counter to what we’re doing — when you know every single counter, when it comes, I have it. And because I have it and we’re just doing it, you don’t need to make calls. We’re just pointing out our stuff. Once we get to that point, we can talk about the next level.”
On social media abuse:
“It’s definitely crossed a line a couple of times. Actually, I would say more than a couple of times. Said some pretty messed-up [stuff].
“The way I deal with stuff like that, I have my circle, I have my family, they keep me level-headed — when it’s positive, when it’s negative. I have a very close circle that I turn to when I start to get doubt or I start to get nervous or see stuff like that. It’s tough to see, but I feel like the way I was raised, I use that stuff and I try to make it into something positive for me. And that’s a credit to my parents.
“I try not to let it get to me, but there are definitely times that I reach breaking points. I try not to let the world see it because people don’t really care about your problems, but I think that when my family is around, I’m allowed to be vulnerable, I’m allowed to say what’s on my mind, say what’s on my chest and not feel any certain way about it.
“But it definitely crosses a line. I think people need an outlet. No matter what your outlet is, when stuff like that, when stuff like that is happening, whether it’s positive or negative, you need to be able to say how you feel. It’s tough. I really don’t wish that on anybody. I don’t really don’t understand why people think it’s all right to press send when [stuff’s] hateful. When I say some [stuff] — the worst things you’re thinking of, it’s worse than that.”
