The Los Angeles Lakers visited MSG and returned home without a win.
Too bad, it turns out they ran into the hottest team in the league—that is, your New York Knicks.
Here’s a lot of what was said before and after yesterday’s affair.
On practice time and recent changes:
“We’ve had a chance to practice a little bit. But we made changes a little earlier, we’ve gotten a little better with the changes. Guys have been communicating more, but they’re able to do that because they feel a little bit more comfortable with what we’re doing. Defensively, we made some changes. Offensively too. I think because we’ve had a chance to work at it a little bit, the guys have had a chance to get involved with it a little bit, the confidence is great. That’s growing as well.”
On offensive principles and ball movement:
“We talk about certain things offensively, playing with pace, touching the paint, and spray the ball. Our guys are unselfish, but they know when they draw a second defender that’s the right to find your teammate. We all need to keep trying to make the game easy for one another.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ handling of double teams:
“KAT did a nice job tonight. He’s gonna get doubled, they put a small guy on him a ton, and the one thing he has to do, just like all of us, is not let double teams or second defenders speed us up. The person who has two defenders on him needs help with the right spacing.”
On OG Anunoby and Josh Hart scoring decisively:
“They’re making quick decisions. OG, the ball’s hitting his hands and if the defender closes out short, he’s letting it fly. OG’s a great shooter. Josh has worked extremely hard on his shot too. There’s not a lot of hesitation from both those guys.”
On finding offense without plays called:
“They’re both getting out in transition, getting easy baskets, getting offensive rebounds, and cutting to score. There are a lot of ways you can impact the game scoring without having your number called.”
On defensive execution against the Lakers:
“Second half, we locked in better with the gameplan. It resulted in the Lakers scoring 44 points in that second half, which was huge for us.”
On the Knicks’ maturity and attention to detail:
“This is a mature group, and they’re competitive as well. We just tell them what we see and they go out and correct. It was more about being locked in and doing the little things better.”
On Jalen Brunson’s defense:
“Jalen’s a good defender. A lot of people sleep on that. He’s competitive, he’s feisty, he’s strong. If there was a definition of how to defend the ball in a pick-and-roll situation when you’re on the ball, that play would’ve been it.”
On Brunson’s defensive technique:
“He’s been impressive leading with his chest, showing his hands and trying to play defense the right way with a little chip on his shoulder. It’s good to see him doing it with the scoring load we put on him.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ All-Star case:
“I’m a firm believer that winning should be a big factor in it. We’re sitting second or third in the East right now, so we should have multiple guys on the team. Jalen definitely is in the MVP conversation, but we’ve got other guys on this team that have stepped up and helped in a lot of different ways. KAT, he’s leading us in rebounds, he’s second in scoring. I don’t know how many double-doubles he has, but that’s impactful when you’re talking about doing it in a winning situation. We should have, in my opinion, two or three guys, at least, on this All-Star team based on what our record is. Not only that, we were NBA Cup champions, so there are a lot of positives.”
On the Knicks improving thanks to rest and time in the gym:
“To be able to spend some time in the gym where you’re not worrying about playing a game has benefited us a ton. We’ve made some changes on both ends of the floor. The more time we have to continue working on it, the better we’ll be.”
On LeBron James’ longevity:
“He’s earned the right to play as long as he wants and he’s definitely doing it. And he’s doing it at a high level.”
On his sixth All-Star selection:
“It’s special. This one’s a real special one for sure. It’s better to be getting the win against the Lakers. I feel better about that right now than the All-Star thing, but as time goes, I’ll be able to digest it and understand the importance of it. Right now, I’m just happy we got the win.”
“It’s been six times and six different roads to get there. Every one is unique. This one is one I’ll cherish, but it’ll take time for me to digest it. It’s great to have a day like this that ends with a win.”
On staying steady through highs and lows:
“It’s part of the journey. There’s highs and lows in this thing. You can’t get caught up on either end. Just take care of your work every day, try to be a good teammate, and the rest will take care of itself.”
“I always say I have the easy job. I’m on the receiving end. It’s guys like JB getting blitzed and having to make the right decision. My job is to catch the ball and shoot the ball.”
On playing under Mike Brown:
“Working with Mike has been great. Early on, I was just worried about making the team and helping us win. As we’ve spent more time together, I’m grateful for him and want to keep doing what I can to help us win.”
On the Knicks-wide buy-in:
“We’ve got a locker room full of guys who want to win and are willing to sacrifice for one another.”
On focusing on distributing when shots aren’t falling:
“Shots not falling, you gotta impact the game somewhere else. I kept seeing two defenders, so I was trying to make the right play at the right time. The way we were moving the ball was great.”
On the defensive turnaround:
“The biggest part of our defense has been communication, physicality and accountability. Being on the string and on the same page has been the biggest part of our turnaround so far.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ rebounding impact:
“The rebounding, what he’s been doing has been great. We need that from him. When the ball’s not going in, he finds a way to impact the game. That’s really important for us.”
On the Knicks’ balanced offense:
“That’s what we’re capable of. We have great depth, guys who can knock down shots and playmake. It shows we don’t have to force anything.”
On finding balance offensively:
“Sometimes I pass open shots to get guys involved, but I gotta make sure I’m aggressive too. Just trying to find a balance, and I’m in a good headspace right now.”
On playing with LeBron James:
“It was cool. I learned a lot about execution and taking care of your body. If it is his last game here, it’s obviously a historic career. Hopefully the fans give him a good ovation.”
On improved defensive communication and effort:
“It’s been executing, the effort, the intensity, the want-to. Everyone’s been on it.”
On the better defensive structure and planning of late:
“Effort can only do so much without having a plan. Having a plan and knowing what we’re all doing with the effort has made a difference.”
On finding comfort with the defensive adjustments:
“I think it was a little tougher for us how we used to do it, but I think it’s better for us now.”
On his level of play at 41:
“S—, I’ve been pretty good. Didn’t I just pass like 60,000 minutes? I’d hope I look pretty good.”
On what Madison Square Garden means to him:
“Everything. It’s the mecca of basketball. Being here at MSG, so many people have graced this floor. I hope I have a little small snippet of someone who came through here and made a small dent.”
On the end of his career:
“At the end of the day, everything has to come to an end at some point. You’re always going to miss it. This place will always have a special place in the journey.”
