Bill Sy: We’re less than a month away from the NBA Draft and the offseason.  The rumor mill has been churning with trade targets like Peyton Watson and Trey Murphy III heading to Boston to Jaylen Brown being part of a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal.  There hasn’t been any indication that the Celtics front office is ready for a big swing, but Brad Stevens could still make substantial changes to the championship core of the roster.  If the Jays are untouchable, that could mean dealing Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, or even Derrick White.  Unfortunately, White might be our biggest chip to play.

Nirav Barman:  Derrick is currently the third highest paid player on the roster, taking in a whopping $30.3 million next season, but he’s been pivotal to Boston’s success since joining the team. The Celtics have been in the Finals twice since acquiring White, winning the championship in 2024, and were a Tatum ankle-sprain away from what could have been a third trip in 2023. Derrick has blossomed in Boston, and it becomes hard to see him anywhere else purely off of his relationship with the team and the city.

Bill Sy: Don’t get me wrong.  I’m a huge DWhite guy and I’ll always be a huge DWhite guy.  Despite his shooting struggles this season, I have no doubt that that was just a blip and he’ll make a big comeback next season.  However, with two maxed Jays and roster that could use some rebalancing before the front office makes a big push in 2027, White’s salary slot could better be used elsewhere.

Nirav Barman: There’s no question that the Celtics are heading towards crunch time for this core given how hard it’s become to navigate the luxury tax and salary aprons. That being said, there are few players who are both available on the trade market, and possess the skill set which White does. Even if you’re looking to address another area of concern for the team in exchange for Derrick, it’s hard to see the team acquiring a player who provides the same value on a similar deal.

Bill Sy: For a minute, let’s put aside who’s available on the market and concentrate who’s already on the team.  A big part of my confidence in even considering trading White was the development and performance of all the young wings in Boston’s bullpen: Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr.  Admittedly, you can’t play all those guys at the same time, but I think you can create Derrick’s contributions in the aggregate just as OKC did with Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and Cason Wallace in replacing Jalen Williams.

Nirav Barman: I’m extremely excited to see what our group of young guys can do next season after what they just showed us, but I don’t think they’ve showed us enough to make White expendable just yet. As you said, their current skill sets need to be aggregated to make up for Derrick’s impact. When a game reaches clutch time, you need to have your best five players on the court, and those moments are where Derrick shines the most. JB and JT are guaranteed spots in a closing lineup. If we presume White is traded for a big man, that means there are two spots left between Pritchard and the wings. It’s hard for just one of those guys to fill that role and feel like we’re putting out a better lineup.

Bill Sy: Let’s zoom out a little bit.  If we’re going to take Stevens at his word, he’s looking to add rim pressure this summer.  Brown led the league in drives per game last season at 19.1.  Payton Pritchard trailed behind at 11.9 and in his limited return, Tatum drove to the basket 10.9 times.  White?  7.5.

Nirav Barman: It’s true that Derrick doesn’t quite play the way Stevens envisions for the future. However, he’s proven before that he can fit different systems. White fully embraced Mazzulla-ball after joining the Celtics, bumping his 3PA average up from 3.7 per game across 4.5 seasons in San Antonio to 7.0 per game across 4.5 seasons in Boston. There’s no reason why White can’t adjust his shot diet again if the team is looking to drive the ball more.

Bill Sy: The bigger question for me is whether White can be more of an alpha that can make the game a little easier for Brown and Tatum (think Holiday circa 2024) or if he’s the best supporting role player.

Nirav Barman: To your point, I wouldn’t call White an alpha. As great as he is, he doesn’t have the ability to take over games on a consistent basis. That being said, there are only so many slices of the pie available, and it already feels like the world has been trying to drive a wedge between Tatum and Brown because they’re both alphas. Having a high-level supporting role player like Derrick seems to me like the best path to success with the Jays as the foundation.

Bill Sy: Unlike the Knicks, because we have two max players, we have to be really deliberate with roster construction.  And don’t get me wrong. The thought of trading an All-Defense First Teamer from a team with championship aspirations seems silly, but I’m just wondering if we’re not in the same spot we were in with Marcus Smart.  At the time, the approach was to surround the Jays with more senior, more proven veterans like Holiday and Porzingis.  Now, I’m wondering if we go younger with the Jays in their prime.  Could this be those crossroads?

Nirav Barman: It does feel like we’re reaching a point where we’re going to have to make some tough decisions again. The Celtics simply have to improve the roster to keep up with the rest of the top teams. I do think that there are paths to do that which don’t require trading Derrick, though – at least as of now. Boston has a $27.7M TPE from offloading Anfernee Simons, and while they’d have to include some assets to get a good player back, it gives the team a lot more flexibility to address areas of concern while keeping White and allowing the cream of the crop to rise to the top from the selection of young wings. (edited) 

Bill Sy: Depending on a handful of team options, the Celtics are projected to enter free agency with a $180-185 million payroll and their first round pick is ticketed for $3 million.  Stevens will have the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and that $27 million TPE at his disposal, but ultimately, they’re most likely going to try and duck under the luxury tax line at $201 million again to restart the repeater.  So, in reality, they’ve got about $15-20 million in wiggle room.  White’s $30 million slot might need to be in play.

Nirav Barman: Even while toeing the luxury tax line, Boston can’t let money override their on-court success. If the right deal comes around, I definitely think trading Derrick can and should be on the table – he’s well loved, but certainly not untouchable. If the expectation is that the young guys will fill in for him, though, it hasn’t quite gotten to that point yet. Until proven otherwise, which could happen by the trade deadline, Derrick gives the Celtics the best chance at staying competitive.

Bill Sy: I guess my thinking is that White’s $30 million and that $15-20 million are the best tools to makeover the roster.  Here’s a very hypothetical trade: let’s say Stevens strikes a sign-and-trade deal with Danny Ainge with Walker Kessler going east and White joining Utah’s backcourt.  Then, with the MLE, Coby White replaces Derrick White as Boston’s rim-pressuring point guard.  Mazzulla would roll out a rotation of:

• Coby White – Sam Hauser – Jaylen Brown – Jayson Tatum – Walker Kessler
• Payton Pritchard – Baylor Scheierman – Hugo Gonzalez – Jordan Walsh – Neemias Queta
• Ron Harper Jr. – 27th pick – Amari Williams – Luka Garza

Rebalancing the front court and back court with younger players sets them up for the immediate and long-term future.

Nirav Barman: I definitely see the appeal in a trade like that. As you pointed out earlier, Brad Stevens isn’t opposed to swapping a fan favorite for someone with clear potential that’s been stuck on a bad team. I’m sure he’ll be doing his due diligence, but I would find it difficult to make a deal predicated on a potential signing since it could create a bigger void if Boston gets outbid. As of now, the free agent market is pretty sparse for both the Celtics areas of need, PGs and Cs. If the Celtics are able to comfortably address one of those needs, then a Derrick trade could become more viable.

Bill Sy: I will admit after seeing OG Anunoby tip in the Jalen Brunson miss, the first thing I thought about was DWhite rebounding Smart’s miss and forcing a Game 7 against the Heat. Who would want to trade a guy like that?

Last June, Gonzaga fans had it easy. Whichever team won the NBA Finals, one former Bulldog was bringing home a ring: Andrew Nembhard and the Pacers on one side, Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder on the other. This year it all comes down to one guy: Kelly Olynyk, the Spurs’ lone Zag, going up against a Knicks roster with none. However the series ends, Olynyk gets to say he was part of it.

Five other former Bulldogs wrapped up seasons of their own well before the playoffs started, and each one tells a different story. One of the league’s most dependable big men fought through the toughest injury stretch of his career. Another strung together his best run in years before a foot injury ended things early. One had the best season of his career, full stop, even if the team around him couldn’t capitalize. A rookie went from undrafted to a franchise rookie assist record that had stood for three decades. And a guy who spent three years grinding through the G League finally got the call that stuck.

Domantas Sabonis | Sacramento Kings | 15.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.1 APG

Domantas Sabonis played 19 games this season, after suiting up at least 70 times in each of his first three years in Sacramento. When he was out there he still looked like himself, averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 54.3% shooting. Finding him out there was the issue.

He missed the opener with a preseason hamstring strain, then strung together 11 games at 17.2 and 12.3 to start the year, capped by a season-high 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting at Minnesota on Nov. 15. The next night his left knee gave out, a partial meniscus tear initially written off as soreness. The Kings, already 6-21, played the next 27 games without him, covering all of December and half of January. He returned off the bench against Washington on Jan. 17, then held to a restricted-minutes plan the rest of the month while shooting 62.1%. His final game, Feb. 5 against Memphis, saw him put up 24 points and 15 rebounds in 24 minutes before Sacramento shut him down for surgery.

The Kings finished 22-60, and Sabonis has spent most of the last two years as the centerpiece of someone else’s trade idea, with the Hornets reportedly holding exploratory talks about a deal involving Miles Bridges, Josh Green and a first-round pick. Sabonis says he expects to be back at an “All-NBA level” next season. Where that season is played remains an open question.

Zach Collins | Chicago Bulls | 9.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 APG

A wrist fracture from the preseason finale kept Collins out until December, and once he got on the floor, the production looked like nothing he’d done before. Over 10 games he shot 57.8% from the field and 42.9% from three, both career-best marks by a wide margin, averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.4 minutes a night. The Bulls went 6-4 with him in the rotation.

The highlights came in bursts: 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in a win at Charlotte on Dec. 13, a 3-of-3 night from deep at Cleveland a week later, and a 15-point, 19-minute cameo off the bench in a win over Philadelphia on Dec. 27 in which he missed just three shots all night. The next game, against Milwaukee, he logged a season-high 24 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds, his only double-digit rebounding night of the year. He didn’t play again. A sprained right toe turned into season-ending surgery in February.

Collins finishes the year as an unrestricted free agent, his extension from San Antonio having carried him through last year’s midseason trade to Chicago and now run out. Ten games isn’t much to go on, but by efficiency it’s the best stretch of his career. Unfortunately, the run ended before he ever got a chance to build on it.

Andrew Nembhard | Indiana Pacers | 16.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 7.7 APG

With Tyrese Haliburton out for the year recovering from his heartbreaking mid-finals Achilles tear last season, Nembhard took over point guard duties and delivered a career year across the board – 16.9 points and 7.7 assists a game, both well clear of his previous bests, on 44.2% shooting and a career-high 36.1% from three. His shot attempts jumped from 8.3 a game to 13.2, and he started all 57 games he played.

The season opened with trouble. Three minutes into the opener against Oklahoma City, guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he strained his left shoulder and finished with four points in 17 minutes of a double-overtime loss, then missed close to two weeks. Once back, the highlights stacked up: 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting at Cleveland in late November, a 28-point, 12-assist game against Sacramento in a December win, and a season-high 19 assists in a March loss to the Lakers. January was his best month across the board, 48.9% from the field, 40 percent from three, 9.2 assists a night.

But none of it moved the win-loss column much. The Pacers finished 19-63, a year removed from the NBA Finals, and a back and neck issue ended Nembhard’s season early, costing him the final seven games. 

Ryan Nembhard | Dallas Mavericks | 6.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 5.3 APG

Nembhard went undrafted in 2025, signed a two-way deal, and spent the first six weeks of the season in spot minutes before a real opportunity opened up. Over a 16-game stretch as a starter he looked like a keeper, peaking on Dec. 2 in Denver with 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and 10 assists, then following it two nights later with 15 points and 13 assists against Miami.

His role shrank through January, still in the rotation but down to 16.5 minutes a night, and by February he’d been pushed out almost entirely, appearing in just two games before a bizarrely miscalculated stretch with the Texas Legends. The roster kept shifting around him and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg (Anthony Davis dealt to Wizards at the trade deadline, Tyus Jones eventually waived), and on Feb. 28 the Mavericks converted him to a two-year standard contract with a team option for 2026-27.

March and April made the case for why. His minutes climbed back to nearly 30 a night, and the regular-season finale against Chicago was the exclamation point: 15 points, 9 rebounds and 23 assists in a 149-128 win, breaking Jason Kidd’s 31-year-old franchise rookie assist record by six. 

The younger Nembhard spent a season doing what he’s always done: demolishing expectations and making all doubters look dumb for underestimating him.

Malachi Smith | Brooklyn Nets | 8.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.3 APG (15 games)

After winning WCC Sixth Man of the Year, Malachi Smith went undrafted from Gonzaga. He tthen spent three years working through four different G League affiliates: the Rip City Remix, the Wisconsin Herd, the Memphis Hustle, and finally the Long Island Nets, where he put up 14.4 points on better than 52% shooting this season. That got the attention of Brooklyn’s front office.

He signed two consecutive 10-day contracts in mid-March and made his case over the following nine games, shooting 51.1% from the field and an absolutely absurd 47.1% from three. The NBA run was highlighted by an 18-point night on 7-of-9 shooting against Sacramento on March 23. The Nets converted him to a two-year deal in early April, and his best game followed almost immediately: 19 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists against Milwaukee, a near triple-double in 43 minutes of action. He finished the season averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 48.5/43.5/100 shooting splits.

One detail worth filing away: if you pull up Malachi’s ESPN player page right now, the photo is still him in a Gonzaga jersey. The NBA hasn’t gotten around to a real headshot yet, but the two-year contract’s already signed.

The Spokane to NBA pipeline shows no sign of slowing down for Gonzaga. The 2026-27 roster could feasibly already have three to four future NBA draftees already on the roster, which would be the biggest class the program has ever produced. Massamba Diop, a 7-foot-1 rim protector arriving via Arizona State, is close to a lock. Davis Fogle is a strong maybe after the kind of breakout freshman season that gets pro scouts circling. And if Izan Almansa clears the NCAA’s eligibility hurdles, a big year barreling through the new-look Pac-12 could put him back in the conversation after a near-miss draft process last year. Lots to look forward to once this roster finally, blissfully, reassuringly fills out.

Perhaps it was the pure exhilaration, the adrenaline running high after the Knicks completed the greatest comeback in Finals history.

Maybe it had to do with the reality that the Knicks are now one win away from ending a 53-year championship drought after decades of incompetence.

The euphoric — and even legally problematic at times — celebrations by Knicks fans from the average Joes to Hollywood A-Listers on Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning provided just a brief preview of the mayhem that may descend upon New York City on Saturday.

For the first time since June 22, 1994, the Knicks take the court Saturday night in San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals needing just one win to claim their third championship.

The Knicks famously failed to do so in two attempts in 1994, losing Games 6 and 7 to the Rockets in heartbreakers.

This time around, thanks to their Game 4 heroics, they have three chances to win one game and wash away the memory of John Starks’ Game 7 to forget.

Should they knock off the Spurs, there surely will be a celebration for the ages.

Post-game celebrations outside Madison Square Garden have become a staple in recent years when the Knicks have been in the playoffs, but these Finals outbursts have felt different.

Fans did not leave Madison Square Garden for some time Wednesday night, showering in every last second from a once-in-a-lifetime win thanks to OG Anunoby’s heroics.

The celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Ben Stiller, showcased sheer joy throughout the night while watching courtside and then celebrating after the game.

Clips from outside MSG showed a fan on a bicycle being held in the air, with the fans below surely not feeling any pain while on such a sports high.

They chanted, “Thank you, OG” after his last-minute brilliance, including a block on De’Aaron Fox in the final 15 seconds that set the stage for his later heroics.

Fans ran through the streets as cars beeped their horns, not giving a damn about traffic after watching Jalen Brunson finally break through against a tough Spurs defense.

The tops of a police car and a taxi became a dance floor.

Some celebrities even took to the streets in celebration.

Rhianna shot a basketball in a Carnival-like game alongside rapper husband A$AP Rocky.

Even former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson celebrated with some fans.

And to think this all happened after a third Finals win.

It’s been 15 years since the last championship by a Big Four New York City sports team — the Giants won Super Bowl 2012, while the Liberty won the WNBA title last year — and the city is waiting to erupt again.

If you give some Knicks fans truth serum, perhaps they would admit they’d rather the Knicks clinch at home in a potential Game 6 on Tuesday night.

Regardless of the venue, should the Knicks finish off the Spurs, Wednesday’s post-game festivities may seem like child’s play.

The City That Never Sleeps will host an all-night party, full of joy and bedlam, that rings out from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Staten Island to Queens and The Bronx.

The watch is on.

The Day has arrived, folks.

It’s win-and-chip for the Knicks in Texas.

Here’s the latest from San Antonio, half a day from the most-anticipated tip-off in Knicks history.

Mike Brown

On the need for staying focused with the title one win away:

“The biggest thing is everybody has to stay present. You have to be present. You can’t think about the outcome. It’s about the process, the next play, the next play, the next play. Sometimes you can think about the process, and it not work out. But when you’re playing against other great teams especially, that’s how you have to take it because anybody’s mind can start wandering when you think about the outcome.”

On the Knicks’ maturity keeping heads level:

“Their level of maturity. Obviously, we have some veteran guys on the team. But you can be a veteran and still have a little bit of immaturity about you, as we all know. From top to bottom, this group is pretty mature. That rubs off on the rest of the group. It makes my job easier. We’ve been preaching all year that it’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession. We understand any time you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases, the level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort.”

On avoiding complacency after the historic Game 4 win:

“It is hard. We’re all human. It was hard even in the series that we swept. You win two, three, four, five games in a row, there’s a tendency to relax a little bit. That’s just in life. In your job, you have success for 10 months straight, maybe you feel like, I got this, I know what I’m doing. You’re not as sharp then because everybody’s been patting you on your back and telling you how great you are. Trying to manufacture things to help guys lock in, trying to talk to guys individually so they can continue to talk to their teammates to lock in, all that stuff is huge. Having Pat’s presence around, Pat Ewing, so he can talk to guys to help them lock in from a different vantage point, is all huge, especially during this time and coming off a win like we did last time.”

On the Knicks’ closeout-game mentality:

“We’ve been preaching all year: It’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession. We understand anytime you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases. The level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort, because even if you bring your best effort, it may not happen, especially on the road. That’s the only way you have a chance for it to happen.”

On preventing a Game 4 hangover:

“I can’t 100% say, ‘This is what I’m going to do to make them not have the hangover from the win two nights ago.’ The biggest thing is, continuing to preach 0-0. Continuing to preach, ‘Stay present.’ Continuing to preach, ‘Next possession, next possession, next possession,’ and hope the experiences they’ve gone through as a group already, and their maturity — as well as our standards, which they’ve really hung onto all year — will help us lock into this game. It’s going to be hard. San Antonio’s a great team. They’re desperate. I still think they believe. It’s going to be hard for us. But it’s natural for that to creep in a little bit. You just hope that it doesn’t creep in too long throughout the course of the game.”

On Jalen Brunson still not getting enough recognition:

“He definitely has not — or did not — get the attention that he deserved during the regular season. I think he’s a top-three MVP candidate. And when it comes down to those things, his name wasn’t mentioned much.”

On what he learned the most from Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich:

“I’ve been fortunate, blessed, lucky to be a part of some good coaching staffs and be with some great coaches, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, they were guys that went deep into their bench. You keep guys engaged by doing that, and you do develop not just a bench but the team, as well, because guys get used to playing with other guys. I’ve seen it work in the past, and that’s kind of what I thought I wanted to do here.”

On lessons learned from Gregg Popovich:

“That’s a great question. I mean, I’d have to think about it. But, you know, you draw a lot from the people that you’ve worked with in the past—people that you’ve experienced things with. For me, working for Pop, I drew a lot. I feel like I drew a lot from a lot of the guys I’ve worked with, but he always used to say: during the regular season, that’s the time to get up, go crazy on the sidelines and all that stuff, because it’s just one game at a time—you practice and you move on to the next game.”

Jalen Brunson

On the Knicks’ mindset entering Game 5 with a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals:

“Zero-zero.”

On turning the page after Game 4:

“Whenever you win or lose a game, that night, you’re going to think about it, think about the things you’ve done well or what you did wrong, [but] I’ve always told myself when you wake up the next day, it’s time to turn the page. Yes, we won [Game 4], but we still have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to learn. We didn’t play our best basketball. We still have a lot to revisit to make sure that we don’t really put ourselves in that position again. But honestly, we still have to continue to have the belief that we’ve had. It’s really important from that aspect.”

On appreciating the opportunity ahead:

“I think I’ve been able to understand what a unique opportunity this is. When you’re doing the things that help you prepare for a game, prepare for moments, put yourself in routines that you’ve done your whole career, your whole life, when it comes game time, you’re ready to go because you put yourself, you put your mind in a position to be ready.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ career and teamming up with him:

“The narrative was placed on him by the outside world. You never really know a person until you meet them face to face, and you see what they say and what their actions are. And being the teammate that he is and seeing his sacrifices and seeing what he’s done his entire career puts him in a position to become a hall of famer. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade that for the world. And the things that he’s done have been extraordinary, and I’m not really sure how he’s going to respond to me saying all these nice things about him, but he’s one hell of a basketball player, but he’s honestly a better teammate.”

On the Knicks’ approach to Game 5:

“Obviously, when we practice, we have film, we talk about situations, what we have to do. You’re always preparing worst-possible-case scenario. If it happens, we have to prepare for this. Our mindset and focus is on one possession at a time, one play at a time, one quarter at a time. You’re thinking about the now, how you can be better the next possession, how can you turn the page, positive or negative. Regardless of what’s going on, our mindset and approach has to stay the same. I think we’ve done a very good job of that. It’s something that has grown over the season. It’s really important, especially obviously now.”

On not fearing failure:

“I think the one thing that stays constant is I’ve always told myself, and always been taught by my parents, ‘Never be afraid to fail.’ You put yourself in those positions in the summertime when you’re envisioning what’s going on the court, when you’re by yourself on the court. When those opportunities come about, you’re not afraid of the moment because you worked hard enough to where if you do fail, you’re going to learn anyway. You put the confidence you have in everything you do when the lights aren’t on, when no one’s watching.”

Josh Hart

On avoiding another slow start:

“They come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been doing it all playoffs, and we’ve been very up and down with that a lot this year. We have to make sure we come in focus with a great attention to detail, and taking things a possession at a time. If we do that, and we play our style of basketball, we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be successful. But we can’t keep getting into a hole and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. We were fortunate to do that last game — all three of our wins. We’ve got to do a better job of starting games off.”

On representing New York:

“This city is built on toughness, grit, blue-collar people, and I feel like I’m the same person. They can look in the mirror and they can see myself, just because that’s how I look at myself and I just happen to hoop.”

On the Knicks’ belief in themselves:

“I just think we have a belief in ourselves and a belief in our team as a collection. We all had adverse situations independently in our careers and we made it through. And I think if we have that mentality individually and as a team, nothing else matters.”

On preparing for Game 5:

“We know they come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been doing it all playoffs. We’ve been very up and down with that a lot this year. So we’ve got to make sure we come in focused with a great attention to detail and taking things a possession at a time. We know if we do that and we play our style of basketball, we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be successful. But we can’t keep getting into a hole and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. We were fortunate to do that last game — actually, all three games, all three of our wins — but we’ve got to do a better job of starting games off.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the challenge of playing closeout games:

“We’ve got to go in there with the understanding of no comfortability, just really be desperate, execute at a high level. Game-plan discipline has to be at a high level. I’ve said this multiple times: The hardest game to win is the one that ends someone’s season. So we’ve got to be our best version tomorrow.”

On the approach to Game 5:

“We spoke about it multiple times. We’ve got to approach every game like it’s 0-0. We’ve got to have that kind of desperation that it is to win Game 1 of a playoff series. We’ve got to go in there with the understanding of no comfortability, just really be desperate, execute at a high level. Gameplan discipline has to be at a high level.”

On resetting after Game 4:

“Obviously that game is a hardwood classic, something that the NBA has never seen before. But I’ve also seen things, being in that situation, where the joy is at an all-time high and it could be at an all-time low pretty quick. So we understand the magnitude of locking back in, getting back to work. Of course that night, we all enjoyed the shell-shock of what happened, and obviously we were the ones that were part of it. But we all understood the next morning that we had to get back to work, and we had to lock back in, and get ready to find a way to win another one.”

On the Game 4 comeback and concerns going forward:

“Also, in that moment of jubilation [after Game 4], that moment of absolute joy, we have to talk about the elephant in the room — we just didn’t play well at all, and we put ourselves in that deficit. So while there is joy, there is also frustration that we even allowed ourselves to be in that kind of position, especially as much as the deficit was.”

On OG Anunoby’s Game 4 winner meaning within the New York sports fabric:

“You can’t spell God without OG. I tried to explain it to him, but you know OG barely gives you any reaction. So I don’t know if he’s understanding it or not. Like you said, it’s a great moment. It’s one of the best sports moments in New York history. But we’ve got to solidify it with one more win.”

Mikal Bridges

On the team’s focus entering Game 5:

“I think it’s pretty easy for us. I think that’s probably the most I can say. I think it’s pretty easy for us. As a player, we know our job’s not finished. Yeah, we’re ready.”

Mitchell Robinson

On the Knicks’ mindset entering Game 5:

“We’re still desperate. It ain’t over. Until it’s said and done, that’s got to be our mindset going into everything.”

On the Game 4 win:

“Getting that win the other night was truly amazing.”

Landry Shamet

On balancing the Game 4 celebration with staying focused for Game 5:

“You can enjoy it that night, that evening, obviously — soaking it up, with the magnitude of what happened. But quickly turning around and understand there’s more to be done. It’s a tough balance, but one that’s necessary, and I think our whole group’s done that.”

Jose Alvarado

On moving on from Game 4:

“It’s easy. We’re coming in and trying to win this game. This one is the most important game. It’s something — you know, we enjoyed it, it was a crazy game, and we love how we got the win. But at the end of the day, we gotta leave that behind us and come out here and worry about tomorrow.”

On Mike Brown’s trust in the bench:

“This bench is deep and he trusts everybody. Some days it’s my day, some days it’s somebody else’s day. … These are the times and moments you wait for.”

Miles McBride

On avoiding a Game 4 hangover:

“That’s the key. Can’t have a hangover of winning a game like that. Obviously it’s special, but we don’t want to repeat it. We want to go out there and take care of business.”

On staying confident amid his shooting slump:

“I’m always going to stay confident, knowing I can impact the game in a lot of different ways. I’m going to make shots. I’m never worried about that. … Anybody is capable of it, 1 through 15 on this team. We’re pushing each other to be better. That’s how our team has been. We’re motivators. We want to uplift everybody. I think having a team like that, you can do a lot of great things.”

OG Anunoby

On his Game 4 game-winner:

“It’s really cool. Just everyone has been telling me how much it means, and obviously I can see how much it means. It’s just really cool to be a part of it, and I’m very grateful. Everyone’s been telling me how much it means. I obviously see how much it means. It’s just really cool to be a part of it, and I’m very grateful.”

Mitch Johnson

On lessons learned from Game 4:

“I think that’s what gives someone a lot of clarity on what went well and what didn’t, what led to it. There’s a lot of times (when) themes of the game that may not necessarily show themselves in a box score on the surface level, that when you start peeling back the layers, you start to understand the ripple effect, good and bad, of what you do or what you did.”

On the criticism of De’Aaron Fox’s Game 4 decisions:

“I think I’ve been fired 212 times and we’ve traded Fox 72 times. We still have to show up and play tomorrow, and I’ve got to coach. The people that matter, we bond together, we stick together through the highs and lows. De’Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow, and I have the utmost confidence he’s going to deliver like he’s done countless times for us.”

On what went wrong in Game 4:

“It’s a good question. I think every game takes on different personalities. A lot of times when you watch the games back, with the level of detail that I would guess all staffs do, but I can speak for our staff, there’s so much that starts to happen, whether on a certain play before you make the shot or before the runs happen. I think that’s what gives someone a lot of clarity on what went well and what didn’t, what led to it. … When you start peeling back the layers, you start to understand the ripple effect, good and bad, of what you do or what you did.”

On his own shortcomings in Game 4:

“There [were] a lot of things that we did, where it felt like we could have put our energy into the right spots in that third quarter. Some things that I could have done to help that, as well. I think that quarter probably was the most disappointing for me. There’s some learning things in every quarter, don’t get me wrong, some things we want to be sharper with, better at, finish games. We weren’t as connected and disciplined as we should have been.”

On the need for better management of Wembanyama’s energy:

“Looking back on it, I do believe that I have to make sure that I help him have the energy required to finish the game as strong as he needs to finish the game. I think I could have done better in that regard. That’s not a number of minutes. That’s not meaning he’s going to play this many minutes tomorrow. It’s looking back on the game, and that game in itself, I got to make sure that I help with that. I think I could have been better in that regard looking back from that game.”

Victor Wembanyama

On the Spurs’ belief in a Finals comeback:

“Everybody thinks—everybody knows—that we’re gonna do it.

On taking the series one game at a time:

“I feel like we need to isolate that one game and take it one game at a time. I think it would be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”

On moving past Game 4:

“We’re very confident. I wouldn’t say it was so hard to, like, shake it off. Harder than any other game before, by far, for sure. I mean, now we’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”

On the Game 4 collapse:

“Of course, there were 1,000 ways that we could have not lost that game. But it feels like there was a time to process that and really dwell on it, but not anymore.”

On what went wrong:

“Absolutely, greediness was [an issue for us]. I guess the general thing would be giving them less opportunities rather than [us] doing something incredible.”

On his showing fatigue:

“Definitely a factor. But it’s the playoffs. Everybody’s just as tired. I mean, it shouldn’t even be a factor in the game. I mean, now we’ve got two days between games. It’s not going to be a factor.”

On the egg-throwing incident:

“I don’t dislike it. Obviously, it’s not good at all. But it doesn’t bother me.”

On Mitch Johnson’s coaching:

“He understands people very well and knows how to speak to them. I am no exception. He knows how to speak to me. In-game, it feels like non-verbal communication as much as verbal because sometimes it’s loud, sometimes we’re far away. He knows what I need. He knows what I need to get to. I also know what he needs, what signals he needs. We’ve grown very much in that sense.”

On the wave of Knicks fans set to invade Frost Bank Center:

“No, it’s not a concern. I mean, we got good defense here in the crowd.”

De’Aaron Fox

On dealing with outside criticism after his endless Game 4 errors:

“It’s not like people have my phone number and can call me. I don’t watch those shows. It doesn’t matter.”

On believing in a Finals comeback:

“We still have this belief because we’ve seen it. We’ve seen it be done, that teams have come back from 3-1. I think even with those series, the games that they lost, they were losing by double digits. The games that we’re losing have all been close games. We still have that belief that we have a chance to win. But we’re taking this one game at a time. We’re not looking at it as we need to win three games. We need to win tomorrow, and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game. Then you look at that next game.”

On Knicks fans buying tickets in San Antonio and what to expect:

“People are making money. It’s the economy we live in. It’s the world we live in. Am I upset about it? No. Do I understand it? Sure. I don’t think that changes what happens on the court.”

Devin Vassell

On what the Spurs saw in film review:

“Just not executing [is what we saw on the film]. There were a lot of defensive mistakes that we made, just not communicating. Then, offensively, just staying in our game plan and not steering away from it. We got some good looks. But with our guards, with Fox and Steph [Castle] just putting pressure on the rim, we feel like when we put pressure on the rim it opens up everything. We’ll be all right.”

Keldon Johnson

On the Spurs’ confidence after the Game 4 collapse:

“It’s a tough one, a tough pill to swallow. I feel like we got comfortable, and things happen. But I think the main thing is that belief is there. We believe. Our belief is as high as ever.”

Stephon Castle

On a potential comeback from 3-1:

“I feel like we’ve made history all year, and we’ve proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up. So, I don’t really expect this to be any different.”

On why the Spurs remain confident:

“I think just our confidence. We’ve had a 10-plus point lead in every single game. Just trying to stay poised throughout that and try to keep our foot on the gas really. I feel like once we get those leads, we start to play a little bit different, take our foot off the gas defensively. I just feel like we have to stay aggressive but be smart through it.”

Shaquille O’Neal

On the NBA’s next face of the league:

“You have to take it. If [Wembanyama] wins a championship, yes. If [Jalen] Brunson wins a championship, it’ll be Brunson. Face of the league ain’t something you pass on. You’ve got to go take it.”

On the fantasy scenario of facing Victor Wembanyama:

“Oh, stop it. Let’s talk desserts. He’s too light in the cakes for me. Stop it. But I’m not known for defense, so he probably would’ve scored a few points also. There’s no guarding me one-on-one, so you can’t ask me that question. He’s a great player. This is his time now. This is not about me.”

On enjoying Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns in the Finals:

“I love [Wembanyama] and I love KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns], so for me this is really good. Two big men battling it out. Let the best big man win. Usually in the Finals it’s all about guards. But these Finals are about two big men, so I have an affinity, a love, for both of them. So whoever wins, I’m happy for them both.”

Magic Johnson

On believing in the Spurs despite trailing 3-1:

“In NBA Finals history, one thing about the Spurs, they’re young, and I think they’re going to be okay. I think this series is going back to New York for Game 6. Listen, it wasn’t that they played bad. We have to understand that this team played great. They just gave the game away, and the Knicks took it.”

On why San Antonio should remain confident:

“So all you have to do is play like you did and not make the mistakes that you made, and you’re going to be okay. This team has played four great games. It’s just that the Knicks have a 3-1 lead because they executed in winning time. The Knicks have executed better than the Spurs. So if I’m the Spurs, I’m feeling good. Yeah, I lost, but I’m going home.”

On the Spurs’ mindset heading into Game 5:

“We correct some mistakes that we made, and we can win and make it a 3-2 series and come back to New York. They should be down about the fact that they didn’t execute in the fourth quarter.”

On Victor Wembanyama’s workload:

“And Coach Johnson made a huge mistake. When you’re up 20 at the end of the third quarter, he should have taken Victor out and said, ‘You get this timeout.’ Like Pat Riley used to tell me, ‘You’re going to get this timeout, and you’ll get another three or four minutes. Then I’ll put you back in to end the fourth quarter and the game.’ He should have taken Victor out because they had a big lead. You can rest him and bring him back in. Because he played so many minutes, he couldn’t take over the game.”

On Mike Brown and Jalen Brunson:

“And I think that’s why Mike Brown has been excellent for this team. He has not worn out Brunson. Brunson was able to finish the game, and it was just beautiful basketball. That shot will be remembered. But people better remember the block he made first. Because that block was a game-saving block as well. The point guard should have pulled it back out. De’Aaron Fox should have pulled it back.”

On the Knicks roster:

“I don’t want to hear no talk about Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or no other player coming to [the Knicks]. This is a great team. I’ve watched a lot of basketball — the way these guys love each other, they play for each other, pull for one another — you’re not going to see this anywhere else. They don’t out-talent you. Grit. Toughness. That’s how they beat you. And togetherness. That’s how they beat you.”

Jeremy Lin

On clearing the air with Carmelo Anthony:

“Basically I asked every last question I had: ‘did that happen? What happened there? What happened here?’ But it was honest. It was direct, it was honest and we were able to definitely clear the air. Obviously perception is reality in certain situations… And that’s the thing about that whole stretch was there was a lot that I was unsure about. And so the narratives come, but to be able to talk it out, I appreciate that.”

On how he wants his story remembered:

“And so my biggest thing was when I think back on my career, because I recently retired, I’ve never wanted my story to be me versus anybody else, which we had talked about. And I think at the end of all of this, if my name comes up or my story comes up and it’s me versus Melo or if we’re ever at a point where someone has to choose sides, then I think we failed.”

On wanting to stay with the Knicks:

“I’ve actually never spoken publicly about my exit from New York until today. And the only reason why is because now we have had that conversation. And so for me, it’s like I’m sitting there like, ‘I got to go back to New York. We got to find any which way.’ And New York, they could have offered me three years, nine million, but I didn’t even get that.”

On Houston’s contract offer:

“So I go to Houston, Houston gives me this offer and I’m like, I swear to you, I get on the phone with my agent and I’m like, ‘I don’t want to take it.’ He’s like, ‘You don’t have a choice.’”

Carmelo Anthony

On the Linsanity narrative:

“I had to figure my s***. I was injured. I was hurt. I had to think about how fast I’m going to come back, what I’m going to do, how the f*** I’m going to go help this team, how I got to lead this team. I’m in a different position than Lin is. So I got to deal with a whole bunch of s***. Forget being jealous of what he’s doing. I want him to keep going. Game win in D.C. Yo, keep going. Toronto. Yo, keep going.”

On answering Jeremy Lin’s questions:

“These was questions that was built up for 14 years that other people probably was adding on to your pressures and your mindset and your perspective. It took me to go through what I went through to have the time to come back and be at peace with being able to answer all your questions with actual facts.”

Isiah Thomas

On Victor Wembanyama dealing with more physicality than anyone on the court:

“Wemby has been the victim of some of the dirtiest s–t ever. I mean, people are grabbing and holding him. With Wemby, we’re allowing people to grab and hold him, knock him down. They literally have him locked up. With his demeanor, they’re lucky he hasn’t turned around and popped one of them in the face real quick. Big men, normally you don’t get to be this aggressive with them without them having the ability to retaliate, hold their temper and all of that.”

Juan Soto

On the Mets’ outlook:

“We still have a shot. We’re still here, and all the guys that are hurt are really close to being back, so I think it’s not as far as people think. I think it’s closer than what everybody is thinking or expecting.”

On attending the Knicks Finals games:

“It was a great feeling from the fans — how crazy they went, how loud they can get. It was impressive. It’s just a different feeling to be in there, you know, I felt like part of them. Those fans were paying attention to every little detail of the game, the back-and-forth, and that’s one of the things that made it special.”

On chasing another championship with the Mets:

“For me, I’m all-in, trying to get back to those big moments. It’s definitely not easy when you’re going through times like these, but we got to keep our heads up and keep going.”

Jose Reyes

On inviting OG Anunoby to Citi Field:

“Hey, OG Anunoby, happy for your success. Proud that you’re a Mets fan. The Mets and I would love to invite you to Citi Field to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. All the best, Jose Reyes.”