The time has come for the Knicks to play an NBA Finals game.
The day is today, and you, like everybody and their mother, will surely be watching.
Here’s a mammoth bulletin to get you ready for what will come later.
Mike Brown
On Mitchell Robinson’s status heading into Game 1:
“He did individual stuff (Monday). I’m about to talk to our medical people to see what he can do (Tuesday).”
Ariel Hukporti
On staying ready in case Mitch is ruled out:
“I’m always preparing. I’m always ready. Always stay ready. When you’re in the third unit, you never know. Stuff happens, people in foul trouble.”
Mikal Bridges
On the Spurs-Knicks recent past:
“I think those games matter, those regular-season games matter. But [they’re a] really well-coached team, really talented team. You can tell how together they are, which is very dope. But with all that, they’re ready to go out there and fight. They’re going to battle. Watching them in the playoffs, [they’re] not soft at all. They’re going to go out there, compete at a high level. It’s great. I feel like we do the same.”
On his favorite college memory:
“Probably winning our national championships—against UNC.”
On the Knicks’ focus throughout the season:
“I think everybody out there is trying to do just one thing, win.”
On getting a second chance at the Finals after his 2021 trip:
“It’s tough to get here once, but to be here a second time, just blessed, honestly.”
Josh Hart
On how to prepare to face Wembanyama:
“I don’t know if you can, because there’s not a situation that’s similar.”
On focusing on the team over individualities:
“For us, I think if we focus on ourselves and focus on the habits that we’re building, we’ll put ourselves in good situations to be successful. We can’t focus too much on one player and focus on Wemby too much because obviously they’ve got a lot of extremely talented guys that can go off any single game. We’re focused on them as a whole. But he’s an interesting guy to game plan for.”
On doubting himself earlier in the season:
“I definitely didn’t see the bigger picture. There were moments I went home, and I’m like ‘damn, man, am I ass? Do I suck as a basketball player?’ There’s a lot of those moments. Whenever your minutes go down, or you get a bench, you have those thoughts, that thought process.”
On using those benching experiences to improve:
“But for me, it was like, okay, how can I build off of it? How can I improve as a player to not put myself in that situation? And, you know, now I’m cool with it sometimes. I mean, there was game one, I got bench, you know, Atlanta was out there hooping, and I was happy about it. And, you know, but that took a little bit of time and self-reflection to get to that point.”
On the Knicks’ selflessness:
“This team was a selfless group. At the end of the day we know we’re willing to sacrifice our own individual performance or stats or accolades for the betterment of the team. When you have not just one, two or three, but a whole team of those kinds of guys, that kind of character, it puts you in a position to be successful.”
On building championship habits steadily:
“When you’re building championship habits, it’s very boring and it’s very meticulous. It’s frustrating at times, but it never changes. We continue to do what we do, continue to build those habits. Nothing changes from the first round of the playoffs to the Finals. We know we got to be locked-in, focused, have attention to detail, physicality, a sense of desperation. It’s been like that for every single series, every single game of these playoffs and it doesn’t change now that we’re in the Finals.”
Jordan Clarkson
On representing the Philippines in the Finals along with the Spurs’ Dylan Harper:
“(It’s) another amazing thing that’s happening right now. Definitely inspiring to the Filipino-Americans and Filipinos all around the country. It’s definitely going to be fun to watch. One of us (will be) taking a championship back home to the Philippines and representing that well.”
On Harper’s early career:
“(Harper has) been really good throughout the whole year. I’ve been watching him, keeping up with him, as well. Him being so young and having so much poise throughout this whole playoffs, it’s a great sight to see a young star coming in this league and doing what he’s doing.”
On growing up in San Antonio watching Spurs parades:
“My stepmom worked at The Westin, so I would see the parades through the hotel balconies and stuff. I would sneak around there. At the hotels at that time, everybody was staying at the Westin downtown. Being able to take pictures and run up on players for autographs, I was definitely that kid. I was around to see how alive the city comes when the Spurs are in the Finals and winning championships. … Just a lot of growth, man, from here as a kid. This definitely feels great.”
On his father’s presence in Game 1:
“[I’m] focused on trying to win, but my dad’s strength and everything has been the world to me, and seeing him continue to fight has been an amazing battle. My dad detailed the cars of a lot of Spurs players in terms of washing them and doing that … [but] my dad, definitely he’ll be a Knicks fan this series. I wouldn’t let him have it any other way.”
On the Knicks’ collective mindset:
“One through 15, I think we’re all just trying to impact the game in any way. Doing the small things is a big emphasis for us that we put on everybody, and that’s what we try to do.”
Jose Alvarado
On making the Finals and doing so playing for his hometown Knicks:
“It’s really something I can’t put in words. I’m blessed. I can’t even say it’s a dream, I never thought about being in the finals playing for the Knicks. But I’m here, I’m extremely excited. I’m a kid from the city living a dream.”
On what to expect from Knicks fans during the Finals:
“The atmosphere is always going to be amazing. That’s just New York.”
On his role with the Knicks after the mid-season trade:
“They got me for a reason. It’s something that’s easy to be a part of, when everybody is on the same page defensively. That’s what we are, we know defense can win us games or at least give us a chance, and that’s what we do at a high level.”
On what’s next for him as a perennial NBA underdog:
“I always think of [my journey]. I want to try to continue the story. You’re a reporter — I’m your height. That’s not really normal in the NBA. Just keep doing what I’m doing, man. The story is not over and I just want to continue writing it and give everybody hope. Don’t say nobody can’t do it. I am living proof.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
On facing Victor Wembanyama:
“Obviously, he’s a special talent and the NBA’s blessed to have him and to be able to showcase his talent to the world. For us, we just have to have discipline in our gameplan and execute at a high level.”
On playing in his first Finals:
“It means a lot, because for my career I’ve only been able to see that [NBA] Finals logo on TV. So it means a lot to be the person that sees the logo on their jersey and has this opportunity.”
Jalen Brunson
On Victor Wembanyama’s skill set:
“Yeah, watching him as a player, it’s pretty unbelievable. The things he’s able to do on both sides of the ball, people have never really seen before for a person of his size. It’s incredible to watch from a player’s perspective.”
On game-planning for Wembanyama:
“As an opposing player, [Wemby] is something you constantly have to be on watch for. You just never know the things that he’s capable of doing. That’s why game planning and our game-planning discipline, our attention to details are so important when it comes to playing because he’s pretty incredible.”
On the Knicks’ mindset:
“I think we’re a hard-working group. I feel like we’ve been doubted a lot. There’s been a lot of noise on the outside that we could obviously talk about and complain about, do something about, but we’ve always just gone into the gym, worked on our game individually… Our mentality is the right place at the right time. We just have to stay focused and keep learning. We can’t be satisfied just because we’re here; we have to continue to keep learning.”
On making the Finals:
“It’s pretty surreal – it’s something I haven’t really thought about. Once the season’s over, once the career’s over, we’ll be able to think about this stuff. It’s a cool feeling.”
On the Knicks’ focus during the Finals run:
“I mean obviously, we’ve been playing hard. Mix in a little luck as well. I think most importantly, we’ve been coming in focused. Just focus on one possession at a time, and just playing hard for that possession and worry about the future later. We’ve been locked in on the moment and we need to continue to do that.”
On preparing for Game 1 of the Finals:
“Everything leading up to Game 1 is going to be definitely high-end just because of everything that goes on around it. I think most importantly, when you can prepare the right way, when you do your routines, you treat it like a normal game, it allows it to be as normal as possible. I’m just trying to make sure I’m level-headed, making sure I do the things I need to do pregame-wise, not change anything just because it’s the Finals.”
On the meaning of making the Finals:
“I’m very excited to be here. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You can’t take it for granted.”
On facing Stephon Castle:
“He’s great. I think his intensity and tenacity is special. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s had that since I’ve seen him at UConn. The way he’s played over these first couple years of his career, he’s going to be a great player, great defender.”
On the Spurs’ team defense:
“Yeah, they’re very physical. The way they play, obviously, they’re able to pressure on the perimeter. Obviously, having Wemby down there on the weak side creates havoc. They’re multidimensional. A lot of ways they can beat you on both sides of the ball.”
On preparing for the Finals during yet another extended break:
“When we were in the gym, we were focused. We were practicing pretty hard, understanding that not knowing who we were playing yet, we had to prepare for both teams. We didn’t want to be behind the eight ball. It was really important for us to have those days because we saw how we came out in Game 1 last time when we had the rest days. I feel it’s really important those days we had, it was important for us, for sure.”
OG Anunoby
On how to guard Wembanyama:
“He’s pretty unique. I mean, there’s little things like maybe guarding [Nikola] Jokic or [Kristaps] Porzingis or Joel [Embiid]. He’s different. He’s taller. Just being aware of where he’s at all over the floor. He can do everything. Super talented. Just being aware of him at all times, trying to make it as difficult as possible.”
On the Spurs’ depth:
“Yeah, they’re a very versatile team, very deep. They have talent all over the court, at all positions. They can all shoot, drive, do everything. And they rebound really well, too. They’re getting the rebound, they can push, one-man fast break. They can push the pace. They really speed the game up. They do a great job doing that.”
James Dolan
On whether the Knicks represent New York City:
“It represents the people of New York City, yes. Absolutely. That’s New Yorkers, right? They’re tough, they’re gritty, they’re full of personality. But they’re also high-character individuals. You have a good sense of right and wrong and what’s fair and what’s not, and if you cross it with ’em, you’re gonna get a New York hello. That’s New Yorkers, right? We’re not subtle, but we’re very straightforward. New Yorkers, they love effort. They don’t just love winners, they love effort … sincere effort. And if there’s nothing else you’re getting from the Knicks, you’re getting sincere effort. And so, I do think they represent New York.”
On why he believes the Knicks will win the championship:
“Because they’re a team. Because they have heart, and they have that X factor in heart. And we’ve seen it all season long, but we’ve really seen it in the playoffs, and in talking to them, they’re gonna be almost impossible to beat. Because they have that heart, and you’re never gonna get them to quit. They will never quit. That’s how winners win.”
On his NBA Finals-or-Bust proclamation:
“That’s why I don’t do a lot of interviews — I’m usually very frank (smile). I did not go into the interview thinking, “Oh I’m gonna say this.” But it was on my mind, and I knew that the rest of the organization knew it too — we all knew it. We knew it from the moment that we said goodbye to Thibs (Tom Thibodeau) and we hired Mike (Brown), that we were gonna be in a hot spot because we just made the conference finals. We didn’t win, but you don’t make a change unless you’re expecting to do better. We didn’t change ’cause we wanted it to be worse! To me, it was a little obvious, so I just said it because it was obvious.”
On hiring Mike Brown:
“Leon (Rose) convinced me (laugh). When we knew we were gonna make the change, we didn’t tell the players about making a change. We first had talked to all the players and I was there, and then sat down with Leon, and we talked about what it is we want in a coach. ’Cause we knew we had a good coach in Thibs. We weren’t just going for a change, right? There was something we wanted, and we laid it out, really on paper, what we were looking for in a coach. I would say the No. 1 quality was collaborative, that was a big piece … somebody who strategically could avail himself of all the minds around him and put it together, particularly at game time, between halves, that was a big thing. And we were looking for flexibility. So we laid out all these sort of characteristics that we were looking for, and then I set Leon loose. And he interviewed a lot of different guys, and he came back with Mike, and I’m like, “OK.” Leon did all the work. I just blessed it.”
On what he likes most about the Knicks’ play:
“Their willingness to sacrifice has been just off the charts. They’re all like this, whatever it takes to win, and don’t worry about me, I’ll do whatever it takes. That’s a sacrifice. We played some opponents who haven’t actually had that kind of a commitment. I’m not gonna name names, but you probably know who they are. I think that’s what sets this team apart, and it’s probably what I like most about them right now.”
On why he hired Leon Rose:
“I obviously have been doing this for a while before Leon showed up, and it was much more about just getting convinced that no matter if you get the most brilliant strategist in the world, you have to have talent in order to win. And so I thought about the guy who would be best in bringing talent to New York, and Leon’s name was at the very top of the list.”
Walt Frazier
On the Greatest Knick of All Time conversation:
“I always say it’s Willis (Reed), and Willis said it’s Patrick (Ewing), and Patrick says it’s Patrick. So he would definitely be on Mount Rushmore. We’ll put him up there if he can bring this title.”
On what a title means in New York:
“I can’t walk the street, it’s like I’m in a parade. Anywhere I go people are like, ‘Oh, there he is, there’s Clyde! There’s Clyde!‘ So if these guys win another title — man, I can’t spend money now in New York. I’ll never have to spend money again in this city. And that’s what I want to show the players. Hey man, I’ve been doing this for 50 years. Fifty years just for winning two titles! So you guys can have it if you just win one title.”
Jeremy Lin
On Knicks fans:
“I always felt like Knicks fans deserve the best performances. They’re so passionate. And as cool as it was for me to give good performances only for that stretch of time, I genuinely wish that I was able to do more. I genuinely wish I was able to stay longer, genuinely wish that I could have a lot more success and done things in the playoffs for the Knicks, but that never came to fruition.”
On his ESPN trial run leading to his hiring for the Finals:
“I think after those three days, the reception that we got from the fans as well as what I felt internally was definitely beyond what I expected. So that was nice in the sense of like, oh, people had really appreciated the breakdown, but I also felt joy in being back in NBA basketball.”
Charles Barkley
On Knicks fans in New York:
“I’m not gonna lie, last year in the Conference Finals, (TNT’s Inside the NBA) traveled, and man, it’s a different thing being in New York. I know New Yorkers are annoying. But man, they’re right. When the Knicks are doing good, it’s a different energy in that city.”
On New York’s Conference Finals atmosphere:
“It was one of the most amazing things those three games we went to in New York. And then now you’re gonna put it on steroids going to the Finals.”
On covering the Finals at ESPN and the meaning of the Knicks-Spurs matchup:
“For me, being able to do the Finals for the first time, to get the New York Knicks in the Finals…I’m so glad we’re gonna get to do the games. But for Adam Silver, this is a dream matchup to get the Knicks against Victor (Wembanyama).”
Mitch Johnson
On Stephon Castle’s defensive impact:
“I don’t want to get crucified. But in terms of output of energy, when you think about what he’s doing defensively and offensively, it takes you to some really rare territory of names that you may not want to say in terms of because you’re not comparing him to that person or this person. It’s similar to Victor in terms of he’s basically in the middle of every single play for us offensively, defensively, but he’s on the basketball.”
De’Aaron Fox
On his message to the Spurs heading into the Finals:
“Don’t change anything that we’re doing. There’s a reason that we’re in the Finals. There’s a reason that we won 60 games. There’s a reason we didn’t lose three games in a row the whole year.”
On enjoying the moment:
“I think my big message for the guys is, especially as we we’re going through this process, not right now but as we were playing in the first round and going up; enjoy the moment. This is a hard thing to do. It’s hard to get back to these places. We don’t want to get to this place and then start changing the way we play.”
On the Game 7 vs. Oklahoma City:
“Going to game seven, a lot of times superstars think, people say ‘unload the clip,’ ‘get all your rocks off,’ whatever phrase you want to use. Going into that game, I’m like, no, do the things we’ve been doing throughout the course of the year, those are the reasons we’re playing the defending champs, that we forced a game seven on their home court. We don’t need to change anything. We’re a good team, and we know that. Going to these games knowing that there’s a reason that we’re here and continuing to play the way that we play, double down on it, triple down on it and continue to do those things.”
On his time in Sacramento:
“I think the hardest part was you have a good year and then you kind of expect it to get better, and then it doesn’t. I think that’s probably the biggest part. Usually, when you hear guys who went to the Finals or won the Finals, they talk about loving; getting to that point. But it’s a hard thing to do once, and it’s definitely a hard thing to do multiple times. Once you taste that success a little bit, I think the hardest part was not being able to get back there.”
Victor Wembanyama
On seeing the Spurs’ lack of experience as a positive thing:
“The lack of experience is a strength for us. Because we don’t know. We could do impossible stuff because we don’t know it’s impossible.”
On the Spurs’ need to lock in after the sugar rush of beating OKC in a Game 7:
“Coming back down from this is a challenge. It’s not done yet. We still need to really come back down to Earth and realize we haven’t done the hardest (thing) yet. The job isn’t done at all. So we still got about, I don’t know, what time is it, like 30-plus hours to recenter.”
On the Knicks:
“It’s a great team of experienced guys who are not here by chance, but by relentless effort over the years. Very different career paths for all of them. They’re right where they’re supposed to be, in my opinion. All of them are going to be super hungry in their own way.”
Devin Vassell
On not being satisfied with winning the conference title:
“We didn’t get here to say, we’re the Western Conference finals champions. We want to sit here and say we’re the NBA champions, we won the finals. It was great while it lasted, but we’re ready for the next chapter.”
Julian Champagnie
On the meaning of facing the Knicks as a Brooklyn native:
“For sure. For sure (it means a lot). I have a lot of friends who are New York fans. I would love to spoil their plans. I would love to. It would just be fun.”
On competing for a championship in NYC:
“Obviously going back [to New York] and competing for a championship is great. I personally want to win, so we’ll just see how it goes.”
Stephon Castle
On admitting toflopping and selling calls:
“I don’t really know how to answer that. I mean, I sell calls, too, sometimes. I mean, I can’t lie. But I mean, it’s really just a field thing, especially in the playoffs, you know. If it’s too egregious, the refs aren’t going to bail you out. They’re going to make the two teams, they’re going to make the better team win. So, I think just taking it game by game and not trying to put yourself at a disadvantage. I don’t really think it’s about selling calls or not trying to sell calls to make yourself look a certain type of way. You know, I think we talk to the refs a lot, especially me in particular, but most of the times they’re right. So, I mean, just having a short term memory. I mean, whether you fall down or not, if you get the call or you don’t get the call, it’s not really something you can change. So, I think for us, just playing the game and seeing how the refs are calling it.”
On defending Jalen Brunson:
“I think what’s worked for me is trying to be physical with him. He’s obviously shorter than me, but he’s a very physical guard, he gets to his spots well. Uses deception well, has great footwork. Trying to be as disciplined as I can, crowd his space, but not give him the angles that he’s looking for. At this point, he’s seen pretty much every coverage, been guarded all kinds of ways. Just trying to impose my will and use my physicality to my advantage.”
On needing to move on from the Game 7 win over OKC:
“Playing the defending champs on the road in a Game 7 like that, it’s hard to flush that out of the back of your mind, especially when you’re the team that came out on top. We have a balance where we understand we can’t get complacent or satisfied with that. We still have a job, so come game time, we’ll be ready.”
On not having an issue with the Spurs being much younger than the Knicks:
“I don’t think that was ever a problem for us. I think for us, that was all outside noise. In-house, we have nothing but confidence in each other. I mean, we’ve been making history — with every game, we see something new. We got four more [wins] to go. We got this far. We still haven’t really done anything yet.”
Dylan Harper
On representing Filipino heritage in the Finals:
“I think me and him (Clarkson) get to do something really special, representing our country, where we’re from, representing everything on the biggest stage in basketball. I feel like over there in the Philippines, basketball is probably the biggest thing. I think we’re very excited for that, and we’re just very blessed and grateful to be in this position.”
Luke Kornet
On returning to the Finals:
“Talking about being on [the NBA Finals] stage, it’s a little different than the [literal] stage at the Westchester County Center that is on one end of the court. I was just trying to make a name for myself, or really, just be able to be in the NBA and see how that goes … I had a great time in my first two years, especially in Westchester. I feel like the group that we had, it was some really fun basketball that we played. That’s what I remember the most. We had a lot of talent and young guys and it felt like an extension of college. I felt like I was growing my game a lot at that time. A lot of guys always talk about the G-League like you can’t wait to get out of it, but I really enjoyed my time.”
On facing the team that first signed him to an NBA deal:
“It’s definitely a cool, full-circle moment playing the Knicks and having started there. Now it’s like my third Finals … one of those things that maybe 20 years from now I’ll have a little more perspective on, but for the moment just trying to succeed and win a championship.”
