Turns out the Sixers lost Game 1 because of the schedule, not because the Knicks crushed their souls into dust.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s see if having a bit of rest helps the Philly Numbers, or if they keep crumbling.<\/p>\n
Fresh Bulletin now, Game 2 later.<\/p>\n
On coaching under the Finals-or-bust pressure:<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have talked about a mandate \u2014 like I\u2019m coaching to win. It doesn\u2019t matter what others say. I\u2019m disappointed if we\u2019re not in the Finals and having a chance to win it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On embracing expectations once he signed with New York:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunity for this job came open, and I was just intrigued by the players. I was intrigued by being in New York, calling Madison Square Garden my home court, being around the fans, hanging with [team president] Leon Rose who I\u2019ve known for many years. He\u2019s just a fantastic human being. And being around the players on that roster, and that\u2019s all I looked at it as. The mandate and all that other stuff, like that\u2019s what I expect, that\u2019s what I want to do, and hopefully it can happen, but who knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the need for improvement after Game 1:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re playing well at the right time, but I think we have room to grow. We can\u2019t give up 34 free throws like we did last night. It\u2019s gonna be tough if you give up 34 free throws. We had 15 turnovers last night. We can\u2019t have 15 turnovers against this team because they thrive at the free-throw line, they thrive in the steal game, they convert those turnovers into points really quickly. And they didn\u2019t shoot well. We know they\u2019re gonna shoot better. We know that [Tyrese] Maxey is gonna be more aggressive, so we have to be even more alert than what we were in our last game.\u201d<\/p>\n
On guarding Maxey and Embiid without fouling:<\/p>\n
\u201cMaxey and Embiid are really, really good at drawing fouls. Maxey\u2019s speed, he\u2019s gonna drive and he\u2019s gonna attack your chest. Most of them you can\u2019t lead with your hands, you gotta lead with your chest. You hope that the referee sees that at times, we\u2019re not initiating the contact, but we can\u2019t put ourselves in the position to put the whistle on the referees\u2019 hands of making a call or no call. So we gotta do a better job of leading with our chest and showing our hands. Shot fake, shot fake, and he can still shoot it whether its from two or three. We have to be disciplined and we have to stay down and figure out how to be the second jumper while having tests from behind and stuff like that. But we can\u2019t send those guys to the free-throw line \u2013 and the rest of their team \u2013 34 times and expect to get a win, especially if we only go 17.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Maxey\u2019s point-of-attack challenge:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing when guarding Maxey at the point of attack is, he just moves so well and he can score from all three levels. His quickness, his athleticism for his size, is second to none. Because he can score from all three levels, so you have to give a multiple effort on every single possession. Because when he gives it up, you best bet that he\u2019s gonna get it back at some point during that possession if not right away.\u201d<\/p>\n
On offering condolences to Nick Nurse:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to pass my condolences along to Nick Nurse and his family, his brother\u2019s family, and all their friends. Life is precious, and you don\u2019t wish that upon anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Game 1 blowout not meaning that much:<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, it\u2019s pretty easy because yesterday is irrelevant. Only thing that matters right now is the present. We got to make sure we\u2019re focused, have good attention to detail, make sure we\u2019re prepared for tomorrow. You know, that\u2019s a good team. Obviously, they had an emotional Game 7, and I don\u2019t know what their travel schedule is like and all that, but I\u2019m sure they probably didn\u2019t even go home. They probably went straight here. They had physical and exhausting series in travel. So, they\u2019re gonna try to get their legs under them and come out with energy tomorrow. So we gotta make sure we don\u2019t just match that, but exceed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On being the favorites against the Sixers:<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing the favorite means literally nothing. Every game you have to come in with a focus and attention to detail. And if you don\u2019t do that, you can lose anybody in this league. We feel like we can beat anybody, but it\u2019s that mentality that you have to go out there and be present every single day. Not worried about the past, because that\u2019s irrelevant. Not worried about what the future holds, because you have no idea. It\u2019s about us being in the present. So we don\u2019t really care too much about being favorites or All Stars, All-NBA and all, because at the end of the day, none of that really matters. And none of that matters if you win. No one remembers the leading scorer or how many All Stars you had or how many NBA, All-NBA [honors you had]. They remember you being a champion, and that\u2019s obviously the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Brunson\u2019s head size comments from Kelly Oubre:<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like that was something that is very well documented. So I don\u2019t think that was any shocker when he said that one.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride guarding Maxey:<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was huge. Both of those guys obviously are blessed enough athletically to be able to keep up with him, use their physicality, use their length to their advantage. Maxey obviously is an offense unto himself, being able to break out and transition. You know, he\u2019s tough, so they did an amazing job on him and have to continue it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On guarding Tyrese Maxey as a team:<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the whole team was just locked in, honestly. Mikal started off on him really well and then I came in, but there were times where other guys were matched up with him, and all of our antennas are up just guarding him as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
On staying locked in during the series:<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, give God the glory. Can\u2019t take it for granted being here. We\u2019ve been here. We\u2019ve lost. We\u2019ve been up. We\u2019ve been down. This is an experienced group, so we just can\u2019t take it for granted. We\u2019re locked in.\u201d<\/p>\n
On targeting Embiid in pick-and-roll:<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of it is just reading and reacting.\u201d<\/p>\n
On finding rhythm in Game 1:<\/p>\n
\u201cMost importantly, the ball was going in, and I got in a rhythm. My teammates did a good job with setting screens and getting me open.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the lack of rookie jitters from Edgecombe:<\/p>\n
\u201cNot very often. There\u2019s been one or two brief moments. I think in the playoff game in Orlando, he took some wild shots. But it\u2019s better than him turning them down.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Game 1 defensive struggles:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to wash that one away and get back and provide a bunch more energy and physicality. I just felt like we were a full step slower defensively. We just seemed like we were chasing everything, didn\u2019t guard the ball well enough, didn\u2019t contest shooters well enough. They were obviously picking us apart, just moving a lot better than we were. I think it was a pretty tough night for everybody. I didn\u2019t think we shot it particularly well, but I don\u2019t think we generated good enough shots. We\u2019re gonna have to figure out how to run more offense to get some of the same looks we got in the past series. Obviously it\u2019s a new series. We gotta figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Brunson\u2019s \u201cbig head\u201d:<\/p>\n
\u201cI just know he has a big head. He\u2019s got the braids. He\u2019s a very smart, tactical player, so he uses all that to his advantage. Hey, I\u2019ll be there. He can whip me [with his braids] all he wants, but he\u2019s not getting free like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
On bouncing back from the Game 1 loss:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe kind of started the Boston series off like this, right? But we made adjustments. We got better each and every game, so I expect the same from this series. Only up from here.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Game 1 loss links to the quick turnaround after Game 7 in Boston:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a quick turnaround. We had to travel, didn\u2019t have a full practice before the game. In my time, I remember in the playoffs, you always had at least a practice before the game. If we were able to get some rest, get some recovery, and then get a good practice in\u2026we would\u2019ve been a little bit more prepared. But we don\u2019t make the schedule. We just have to go out there and play.\u201d<\/p>\n
On his rookie season extending into the second round of the playoffs:<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, this is a dream. I didn\u2019t imagine it to happen so fast like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
On adjusting to guarding Brunson:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great player, so he\u2019s going to make adjustments. Now, it\u2019s time for me to make adjustments on how I guard him. Just play hard, fight through, just try to make sure I don\u2019t get hit by any screens. Just try my best to stay in front of him and make him make difficult shots.\u201d<\/p>\n
On embracing the unpredictability in playoffs:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou live for surprises. It\u2019s hard to set high expectations and think you are going to fulfill all your expectations. I didn\u2019t set crazy high expectations for myself. I just wanted to play basketball. I\u2019m glad I\u2019m in the position I\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\n
On not overreacting to the Game 1 loss:<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we lose by seven points, or 70 points, it doesn\u2019t really matter. They won one game and we lost one game. We\u2019re gonna make some adjustments and we\u2019ll be ready for Game 2. Game 1 doesn\u2019t carry over to Game 2.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the emotional toll of the Celtics series and the need for adjustments vs. New York:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t use the fatigue as an excuse. But it has been an emotional roller coaster. You go from a Game 7, you get one day off and then you\u2019re right back into another matchup. I think there was some carryover of us trying to get up and trying to get prepared for this next matchup. But we definitely should have come out and did a better job.\u201d<\/p>\n
On settling in after the Game 1 blowout loss:<\/p>\n
\u201cJust get settled in. Yeah, we had breakdowns but they also shot the (expletive) out of the ball. You know, they were hot. They came out hot, they came out on fire. But it\u2019s a game of adjustments. We\u2019ll make adjustments; see what we need to get better at. It\u2019s the same as last series. It\u2019s one. They don\u2019t get any extra points for going up big [in Game 1]. We\u2019ll be ready for Game 2.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aristotle \u201cTelly\u201d Hatzigeorgiou<\/p>\n
On NYC restaurants banning Philly cheesesteaks:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just sat around, and all of a sudden we see the word \u2018Philly\u2019 there, and we\u2019re like, \u2018ugh!\u2019 Teeth are grinding, and we didn\u2019t want anything Philly that\u2019s weak. We wanted strong NYC grit. Not a weak Philly cheesesteak.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Turns out the Sixers lost Game 1 because of the schedule, not because the Knicks crushed their souls…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[52132,9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-222146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-knicks-news","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}