THE New York Knicks made magic on Sunday and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-98 on the road by missing four holders from the first seconds of the match.
That’s because Jalen Brunson suffered a knee injury just a few dribbles into the game and was forced off the court quickly, never to return. The Knickerbockers were their resilient shelves and once again proved to be the hapless Cavs’ kryptonite, as was the case last April.
Here is what the protagonists of Sunday’s match had to say before and after the match.
Tom Thibodeau
On the Knicks’ effort at the end of the match limiting Cleveland to just two points in the last 4h40 of play…
“When you’re shorthanded, your margin for error is small. So you have to play with great intensity, great concentration in every game. That’s the only thing I’m proud of.
“Those guys, we haven’t had our starting lineup in a long time, so add Jalen. But the guys who were there got the job done.
On what happened to Jalen Brunson before he was forced out with a knee injury…
“He hit his knees. That’s what happened. He had x-rays taken and was examined by the doctor. Everything was negative. We’ll see where he is [Monday].”
On the chances of Brunson returning in time to start against the Atlanta Falcons Tuesday…
“I guess. It’s a bruised knee and everything was negative, so we’ll see where he is tomorrow.
On navigating the regular season with numerous injured players…
“It really is the story of the season. We’ve been fighting shorthanded since December, so keep fighting. That’s all we can do.
On what the skills of Miles McBride and Alec Burks add to the Knicks…
“I think in today’s game, he’s a keeper. I like the versatility. I like using Jalen [Brunson] this way too. So I think they compete very well.
“I think Alec [Burks] does the same thing. That’s one of the main reasons why we chose Alec, because we knew he could play off the ball and then play off the ball as well.
Miles McBride
Playing 47 minutes replacing injured Jalen Brunson in the win over Cleveland…
“Honestly, I feel good. This is what I worked for during the offseason. I prepare my body for this. You never know what will happen. [Brunson] I hope everything goes well, but I have to be ready for anything.
On his position in the Knicks hierarchy, one which now includes the buyout and addition of Shake Milton…
“I really try not to worry about it. I think I can do what I can, work as hard as I can. If my name is called, my name is called. Nothing else really affects me.
On his expectations for this season…
“I really felt like going into this year, understanding the NBA game a little more, knowing where I’m going to take my shots. I had the impression that when I arrived this year, I was going to take a big step forward.
Donte DiVincenzo
On Jalen Brunson’s injury…
“You don’t want to see anyone go down like that. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league. I know he will be ready to go.
“I asked him if he was okay. And he said, “Everything will be fine.” »And that’s it for me. Like I said last time he fell [with a sprained ankle earlier in the season], I’m not worried about Jalen. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league. Either way, I can honestly say I don’t know. Either way, it will bounce back. He’s tough as nails.
On the fact of having snatched the victory against the Cavs even if the team was missing four starters including Brunson from the first minute…
“It’s huge. You look closely, we are down four starters, they lost one. You look at the matchups and the problem with us is that we are brave.
“We are collectively together. There’s not one guy that wants to go out and outwork anyone. That’s our goal: to win the game. It doesn’t matter how we do it.
On Deuce McBride who spent 47 minutes in Brunson’s absence to beat the Cavs…
“He’s got these young legs!”
Josh Hart
On what fuels his game…
“Some guys start by making a shot. Honestly, I really start by getting defensive rebounding, getting rebounds.
“I felt like I shot the ball well today. I’ve had a few – I’ve had the shot clock ones that I just had to throw up, but for me, I’m getting into it more by playing kind of like endurance games.
Stay focused and continue training and training throughout the season…
“I feel like I’m getting into the game a little bit, so that’s part of it. And I feel pretty confident right now. I’ve been working really hard the last two, three, four weeks, just to get back to basics, to get back to the rotation.
On Jalen Brunson’s injury…
“Jalen decided he didn’t want to play.”
“When a guy goes down, you have to find a way. We had to go out there and play our game.”
On Deuce McBride’s exit against the Cavs in the virtual point guard role, playing 47 minutes…
“He was racing with Darius Garland. And if Garland wasn’t there, he was running around with it [Max] strus and [Sam] Merrill. That says a lot about his conditioning, his competitiveness, his tenacity. Ultimately, once you get there, that competitive nature really takes over. He had that. For him to play 47 minutes in a row is absurd.
Playing with Donovan Mitchell’s collar after a decisive three-pointer recently…
“I saw Donovan and obviously he’s my guy, and then I saw the channel and I was like, ‘Ooh! It’s good.'”
Jalen Brunson
On Deuce McBride’s increased role lately…
” He plays very well. He is taking full advantage of his opportunity. And what he was able to do helped us.
“So yes, he plays well, yes, he enjoys it. I’m not sure what his plus or minus is. When he’s out there, he gets things done.
Isaiah Hartenstein
On whether or not he bumped his knee with Jalen Brunson, injuring the point guard…
“I don’t think so. I saw him on the video continuing to run. I didn’t feel much.
Returning from his Achilles tendon injury while regularly increasing his minutes…
“I’m more comfortable and I’m just taking my rhythm, I think that’s the most important thing. [Thursday night] I felt like some things were a little slow, but that will all come with time, so that’s not what I’m worried about right now.
“I feel [the Achilles issue] a little bit, but that’s why you speed it up because it will get better and better. We don’t want to escalate the situation too much at this point. We have a good program in place. It will get better. That’s what’s good.
JB Bickerstaff (head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers)
On Jalen Brunson’s leadership and how to stop him (comments made before tip-off)…
“He’s the heart and soul of this team, so our goal is to try to keep him out of the game and not let him make flustered plays and outplay us and get the Knicks going. You’ve got to keep him off the boards because he does a great job crashing and his team feeds off it.
Not knowing how to stop the Knicks without Brunson…
“I think we let our guard down. We prepared for a game in one sense, and I think without [Brunson] we thought it was going to be a little easier and let our guard down. They had different guys contributing and making plays, and if you give talented NBA players an opportunity late, they’re going to bite you in the ass.
“We played in fits and starts. We had a good second quarter. But to come out of halftime and give up 36 points to a team that was missing as many guys as they were, it’s disappointing defensively. We have to be better than that.
