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The Knicks rested for a day on Wednesday after beating the Bulls and facing the Celtics on Thursday, but laying on the bed was all they needed to do to clinch a top-6 seed in the East as that became official a few hours before today’s tipoff.
With Orlando’s loss to Milwaukee and Miami’s loss to the Mavs, the Knicks cannot drop behind the Play-In cut-off anymore, and they look primed to finish in possession of the No. 3 seed thus avoiding Boston until the Eastern Conference Finals. Yay!
Here are some quotes from current and past Knicks for you to enjoy before tip-off.
Tom Thibodeau
On OG Anunoby’s improved game as he gets more reps…
“I loved the way he played. And he’s still coming back after a long layoff [following elbow surgery]. But his instincts are great. He still doesn’t quite have his timing, and when that comes, look out, because he’s everywhere.”
On Anunoby’s performance against the Bulls on Tuesday’s win…
“I thought OG’s aggressiveness to start the game was great, got us off to a good start. We had the lead, but we didn’t play tough with the lead. I liked the way we shared the ball. I thought that was good. But we got some things we’ve got to clean up.”
On what OG adds to the Knicks…
“He’s a multiple-effort guy. There’s not anything he doesn’t do well. He runs the floor great, knows how to move without the ball, can shoot, can post, can drive, can cut. Great instincts. And so, those guys are gonna get better and better the more they play together. And I thought right at the end of January, we were in a pretty good rhythm with them, so we gotta get back to that.”
“The thing about it, it’s just such a great story. This didn’t happen overnight. Although it appears that it did, because now everyone sees it. But if you watch the work that this kid has put in his whole life, he’s prepared himself for this moment and it’s a credit to him and his family.”
“[He is] very driven and all about the right things. It doesn’t surprise me because he’s got a great belief and confidence from the work that he’s put in. The best part of it is the humility to go along with it. So he’s a great teammate and he helps to bring the best out of people.”
“When you talk about his development and who he is, you’re talking about great concentration; you’re talking about maximum effort. You’re talking about good judgment. His foundation is so solid because it’s built on fundamentals, so there’s a counter for everything.”
On how he and the squad will approach the final three regular-season games…
“I just want us to be playing our best at the end. Just stay focused every day on what we have to do to improve. Don’t be satisfied with where we are. Stay hungry. Stay focused. I always say, your concentration is everything. Use good judgment, communicate, play well, get out there, do your job, pay attention to everything.”
Jalen Brunson
On his performance in the win over Chicago…
“I think I’m playing better than I did at the beginning of the season. I think I progressed every single time on the court. But there’s a lot of things I can still work on, do better. So I don’t see it as that. But there’s always room for improvement.”
On OG’s game against the Bulls…
“He played really well. He got in rhythm really early. And I think that was very important for us. When he’s going like that, players are making plays from all over the court, it helps everything.”
On the team chemistry and how they are playing right before the playoffs…
“Everyone is playing well. I think the best part about it is that when one person isn’t playing well, we all know how to back each other up and make sure we’re on the same page. We give each other confidence. I think that’s just the chemistry of the team. We don’t care about the credit and find a way to win.”
On whether or not the team will change anything during the final few games depending on the opponent…
“Same mentality. Same approach. I just think as we get close to the end of the season, we’ve been talking about not jogging to the finish line, just sprinting to it. So making sure we’re playing as hard as we can, getting better every single day. And we got to make sure our minds are ready to go.”
OG Anunoby
On how he got ready for the Bulls contest on Tuesday…
“Realizing where I could have been more aggressive, where I could find shots, where I could look for my shot. We ran some plays and as the game went on, they were able to find me and I was able to be aggressive.”
On his elbow and slowly but surely getting more comfortable on the court…
“It’s getting better and better every game. I don’t even think about it anymore. I try not to.”
On his approach and the team’s to every game during the home stretch…
“We want to win every game, so we play every game to win. We don’t really worry about anything else. Just try to win every game.”
Nate Robinson
“Who wouldn’t? You gotta give up some stuff to get the player that you want.”
On his plans for the future and getting a kidney transplant…
“I want to get into coaching. [But] I want to get a kidney first.”
“[Doctors] said it’s going to be probably in [my] late 30s that [my] kidneys are going to just deteriorate over time. I couldn’t control what was going on.”
“It’s coming along. It’s getting better. Every day is a struggle, but every day, it’s a blessing that I get to open my eyes and do interviews.”
“Just being a dad, enjoying my kids, training my kids. I go to training with my kids later today, with my son and daughter. So as long as I’m getting to the gym with them, helping them to prepare them for their future, that’s all that matters.”
On what playing in New York for the Knicks meant for him…
“When I was in New York, the fans were hard on us, because they wanted us to win. And I understood that. And I wanted to win too, for the fans. Because they were just, when you’re a diehard Knick fan, it’s known. Everything in the city is Knicks, Knicks, Knicks. And fans have been fans since their fathers and their fathers before them. It’s like a generational type fan base. There’s no bandwagon stuff and they embrace you, they adopt you in as family when you’re a part of the Knicks.”
On New York fans and enjoying his days playing for the Knicks…
“When I went to the Garden and played my first game, I remember just the fans and being in the Mecca and being in just New York City, the city that never sleeps, it brings something out of you. It makes you feel like a superhero. You be out there playing, and it’s just straight fun. Like, you’ll die for that stuff. You’ll die for those fans. You’ll die for that, for a win, to go to the playoffs and to get a championship. And that’s something that we put on the line. We put our lives on the line, and it was awesome. What a great feeling to be a Knick.”
On what the Knicks should do with Julius Randle this summer…
“I will probably trade (Randle) and try to get Zion (Williamson) to New York City and then get a trainer and a nutritionist for him to get his body right. And I will tell Zion, I want the Zion that came out of Duke. I want the Duke [version of] Zion. That’s all they need.”
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