Head Coach Dwane Casey
On tonight’s game:
“I thought we had lapses. We started out strong, but our second unit has to come in and establish themselves. They did it last night. They did a great job last night, coming in and maintaining the tempo, the intensity, the pace. And tonight, we didn’t do it. That’s the inconsistency that dug us a hole a little bit. We bounced back in the second half, with a defensive mindset. Held them to 17 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth. We shouldn’t have to dig ourselves a hole. That’s what we’re fighting for. Every game is going to be an adventure, a challenge for us. We can’t take anybody in this league for granted.”
On testing the team rotation:
“We’re trying to get the right rhythm, so we don’t dig ourselves a hole. We’ll keep experimenting to try and get the right group, find the right guys who are ready to come in and perform.”
More on tonight’s game:
“Andre (Drummond) did a much better job in the second half. It wasn’t just Andre and Zaza (Pachulia), it was guys guarding the ball. The ball was the problem. I don’t care who you are, if it’s Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlin, if you let a guy get a straight-line drive and one dribble, you are putting the big guy in a tough spot, so we did a better job of containing the ball in the second half. And made it easier for Andre and ZaZa to protect the rim.”
Detroit Pistons Forward Blake Griffin
On tonight’s game:
“The second night of a back-to-back, obviously coming off of a big win a win and we got a lot of momentum. It’s important to not take any team lightly and come out and execute and let the execution take care of the game for us.”
More on tonight’s game:
“Our defense was good for the most part with the exception of the second quarter. I thought we just did a solid job. On the second night of a back-to-back, you have to lean on that defense because sometimes shots aren’t falling. Overall it was a pretty solid game for us.”
On hitting big shots down the stretch:
“Any shot down the stretch is big. You need buckets but you need stops most importantly. We got those at the time we needed them.”
On playing well before the All-Star break:
“We got two days (off) here, a game then two days (off) again so the rest combined with having most of our games at home…you know everybody is tired, everybody is injured a little bit everybody is playing not at 100 percent. This is a good time to capitalize on that and go into the All-Star break feeling good about the way we’re playing.”
Detroit Pistons Guard Reggie Bullock
On tonight’s game:
“It was great from start to the end. We probably had a little lapse in the second quarter. Our game is when we get the ball out of bounds fast, whether they score or not. Just push the ball back down their throats, attack, get threes, get to the lane and get the lobs. When we play with that speed it’s very hard for teams to guard.”
More on tonight’s game:
“We were a lot better in the second half. We had Dre (Andre Drummond) meeting guards at the rim. We were staying home on three point shooters in the second half. They have a great penetrating guard in DSJ (Dennis Smith Jr.). This game meant a lot to us to come out and get this one.”
New York Knicks Head Coach David Fizdale
On tonight’s game:
“That third quarter was mud for both teams, we really got after each other. We have to make shots. We probably had four of five wide open threes, in that fourth quarter, that we missed bad, but I’ll take those shots from the guys that were taking them. What I saw tonight was more cohesion with the new guys, a little more organization. We had great huddles, those guys were leading and helping the young guys. I thought Dennis (Smith Jr.) had a really exceptional game. He and Mitchell (Robinson) both.”
On integrating the new players:
“I want to see how it all looks together. It’s kind of the same thing that I was doing all year long with the other guys. We don’t know, these guys could end up being part of our future. I really want to empower these veterans to lead, and to really show these guys the way when they are out there. They have an understanding of our defense and how to guard certain players. Some of the advice teat they were giving in the huddles was priceless to these guys. I really want to incorporate them into the mix. I’m trying to get them the early minutes now, so they can catch up and learn our stuff pretty fast.”
On Frank Ntilikina & Emmanuel Mudiay returning to the lineup:
“If it’s right before All-Star we’ll probably just wait it out and not even risk it. Let them get another week of rest and get some conditioning in to hopefully hit the ground running.”
New York Knicks Center DeAndre Jordan
On Mitchell Robinson:
“He was obviously great tonight. The energy was amazing. I could actually hear him from the bench talking. We just have to get that to be consistent. He finished plays, rebounded the ball, blocked shots, he was extremely active. That’s what we need from him and that’s what we need from our whole team.”
On Dennis Smith Jr.:
“He is one of the fastest guards in our league, if not the fastest. He changes directions so quickly. He’s a great rebounder. He’s a handful. Whenever he turns on the jets, he beats us down the floor most of the times. Defensively, he was great tonight. If we can sustain that for forty-eight minutes and be consistent, then we’ll see some wins.”
On being traded for the first time:
“It’s definitely something new. It’s something that I’m getting used to. Everyone in the organization has been great. The history in this organization and arena is huge. It’s something we want to be a part of so we’re excited.”