Turns out the Sixers lost Game 1 because of the schedule, not because the Knicks crushed their souls into dust.
Let’s see if having a bit of rest helps the Philly Numbers, or if they keep crumbling.
Fresh Bulletin now, Game 2 later.
Mike Brown
On coaching under the Finals-or-bust pressure:
“People have talked about a mandate — like I’m coaching to win. It doesn’t matter what others say. I’m disappointed if we’re not in the Finals and having a chance to win it.”
On embracing expectations once he signed with New York:
“The opportunity for this job came open, and I was just intrigued by the players. I was intrigued by being in New York, calling Madison Square Garden my home court, being around the fans, hanging with [team president] Leon Rose who I’ve known for many years. He’s just a fantastic human being. And being around the players on that roster, and that’s all I looked at it as. The mandate and all that other stuff, like that’s what I expect, that’s what I want to do, and hopefully it can happen, but who knows.”
On the need for improvement after Game 1:
“We’re playing well at the right time, but I think we have room to grow. We can’t give up 34 free throws like we did last night. It’s gonna be tough if you give up 34 free throws. We had 15 turnovers last night. We can’t have 15 turnovers against this team because they thrive at the free-throw line, they thrive in the steal game, they convert those turnovers into points really quickly. And they didn’t shoot well. We know they’re gonna shoot better. We know that [Tyrese] Maxey is gonna be more aggressive, so we have to be even more alert than what we were in our last game.”
On guarding Maxey and Embiid without fouling:
“Maxey and Embiid are really, really good at drawing fouls. Maxey’s speed, he’s gonna drive and he’s gonna attack your chest. Most of them you can’t lead with your hands, you gotta lead with your chest. You hope that the referee sees that at times, we’re not initiating the contact, but we can’t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle on the referees’ hands of making a call or no call. So we gotta do a better job of leading with our chest and showing our hands. Shot fake, shot fake, and he can still shoot it whether its from two or three. We have to be disciplined and we have to stay down and figure out how to be the second jumper while having tests from behind and stuff like that. But we can’t send those guys to the free-throw line – and the rest of their team – 34 times and expect to get a win, especially if we only go 17.”
On Maxey’s point-of-attack challenge:
“The biggest thing when guarding Maxey at the point of attack is, he just moves so well and he can score from all three levels. His quickness, his athleticism for his size, is second to none. Because he can score from all three levels, so you have to give a multiple effort on every single possession. Because when he gives it up, you best bet that he’s gonna get it back at some point during that possession if not right away.”
On offering condolences to Nick Nurse:
“I’d like to pass my condolences along to Nick Nurse and his family, his brother’s family, and all their friends. Life is precious, and you don’t wish that upon anybody.”
Josh Hart
On the Game 1 blowout not meaning that much:
“I mean, it’s pretty easy because yesterday is irrelevant. Only thing that matters right now is the present. We got to make sure we’re focused, have good attention to detail, make sure we’re prepared for tomorrow. You know, that’s a good team. Obviously, they had an emotional Game 7, and I don’t know what their travel schedule is like and all that, but I’m sure they probably didn’t even go home. They probably went straight here. They had physical and exhausting series in travel. So, they’re gonna try to get their legs under them and come out with energy tomorrow. So we gotta make sure we don’t just match that, but exceed it.”
On being the favorites against the Sixers:
“Being the favorite means literally nothing. Every game you have to come in with a focus and attention to detail. And if you don’t do that, you can lose anybody in this league. We feel like we can beat anybody, but it’s that mentality that you have to go out there and be present every single day. Not worried about the past, because that’s irrelevant. Not worried about what the future holds, because you have no idea. It’s about us being in the present. So we don’t really care too much about being favorites or All Stars, All-NBA and all, because at the end of the day, none of that really matters. And none of that matters if you win. No one remembers the leading scorer or how many All Stars you had or how many NBA, All-NBA [honors you had]. They remember you being a champion, and that’s obviously the goal.”
On Brunson’s head size comments from Kelly Oubre:
“I feel like that was something that is very well documented. So I don’t think that was any shocker when he said that one.”
On Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride guarding Maxey:
“That was huge. Both of those guys obviously are blessed enough athletically to be able to keep up with him, use their physicality, use their length to their advantage. Maxey obviously is an offense unto himself, being able to break out and transition. You know, he’s tough, so they did an amazing job on him and have to continue it.”
Deuce McBride
On guarding Tyrese Maxey as a team:
“I feel like the whole team was just locked in, honestly. Mikal started off on him really well and then I came in, but there were times where other guys were matched up with him, and all of our antennas are up just guarding him as a team.”
On staying locked in during the series:
“Man, give God the glory. Can’t take it for granted being here. We’ve been here. We’ve lost. We’ve been up. We’ve been down. This is an experienced group, so we just can’t take it for granted. We’re locked in.”
On targeting Embiid in pick-and-roll:
“A lot of it is just reading and reacting.”
Jalen Brunson
On finding rhythm in Game 1:
“Most importantly, the ball was going in, and I got in a rhythm. My teammates did a good job with setting screens and getting me open.”
Nick Nurse
On the lack of rookie jitters from Edgecombe:
“Not very often. There’s been one or two brief moments. I think in the playoff game in Orlando, he took some wild shots. But it’s better than him turning them down.”
On the Game 1 defensive struggles:
“We have to wash that one away and get back and provide a bunch more energy and physicality. I just felt like we were a full step slower defensively. We just seemed like we were chasing everything, didn’t guard the ball well enough, didn’t contest shooters well enough. They were obviously picking us apart, just moving a lot better than we were. I think it was a pretty tough night for everybody. I didn’t think we shot it particularly well, but I don’t think we generated good enough shots. We’re gonna have to figure out how to run more offense to get some of the same looks we got in the past series. Obviously it’s a new series. We gotta figure it out.”
Kelly Oubre Jr.
On Brunson’s “big head”:
“I just know he has a big head. He’s got the braids. He’s a very smart, tactical player, so he uses all that to his advantage. Hey, I’ll be there. He can whip me [with his braids] all he wants, but he’s not getting free like that.”
On bouncing back from the Game 1 loss:
“We kind of started the Boston series off like this, right? But we made adjustments. We got better each and every game, so I expect the same from this series. Only up from here.”
On the Game 1 loss links to the quick turnaround after Game 7 in Boston:
“It was a quick turnaround. We had to travel, didn’t have a full practice before the game. In my time, I remember in the playoffs, you always had at least a practice before the game. If we were able to get some rest, get some recovery, and then get a good practice in…we would’ve been a little bit more prepared. But we don’t make the schedule. We just have to go out there and play.”
VJ Edgecombe
On his rookie season extending into the second round of the playoffs:
“Obviously, this is a dream. I didn’t imagine it to happen so fast like this.”
On adjusting to guarding Brunson:
“He’s a great player, so he’s going to make adjustments. Now, it’s time for me to make adjustments on how I guard him. Just play hard, fight through, just try to make sure I don’t get hit by any screens. Just try my best to stay in front of him and make him make difficult shots.”
On embracing the unpredictability in playoffs:
“You live for surprises. It’s hard to set high expectations and think you are going to fulfill all your expectations. I didn’t set crazy high expectations for myself. I just wanted to play basketball. I’m glad I’m in the position I’m in.”
Tyrese Maxey
On not overreacting to the Game 1 loss:
“If we lose by seven points, or 70 points, it doesn’t really matter. They won one game and we lost one game. We’re gonna make some adjustments and we’ll be ready for Game 2. Game 1 doesn’t carry over to Game 2.”
Paul George
On the emotional toll of the Celtics series and the need for adjustments vs. New York:
“We can’t use the fatigue as an excuse. But it has been an emotional roller coaster. You go from a Game 7, you get one day off and then you’re right back into another matchup. I think there was some carryover of us trying to get up and trying to get prepared for this next matchup. But we definitely should have come out and did a better job.”
On settling in after the Game 1 blowout loss:
“Just get settled in. Yeah, we had breakdowns but they also shot the (expletive) out of the ball. You know, they were hot. They came out hot, they came out on fire. But it’s a game of adjustments. We’ll make adjustments; see what we need to get better at. It’s the same as last series. It’s one. They don’t get any extra points for going up big [in Game 1]. We’ll be ready for Game 2.”
Aristotle “Telly” Hatzigeorgiou
On NYC restaurants banning Philly cheesesteaks:
“We just sat around, and all of a sudden we see the word ‘Philly’ there, and we’re like, ‘ugh!’ Teeth are grinding, and we didn’t want anything Philly that’s weak. We wanted strong NYC grit. Not a weak Philly cheesesteak.”