00:00All right, let's get you guys some key points and takeaways from the Knicks 105-95 win over the
00:04Boston Celtics. Brendan London here filling in for Dexter Henry, Stephan Bondi. Steph, you just
00:11went into the locker room, spoke to the players. Let's get their takeaways from your conversation,
00:16then we'll get to your key points as well. What are the players saying about this win?
00:21Well, I mean, everybody's happy. I think, you know, there's some room for improvement with
00:25the way they played in the second half, but the first half was just fantastic. And I mean,
00:29generally it's good vibes. They're about to go to Miami, right? So it's 80-something degrees,
00:34so everybody's happy. 42 points in the second quarter. We've seen an offensive explosion the
00:40two games in this early season. Is the offense, again, two games out of 82, is the offense where
00:49you kind of expected since hiring Mike Brown? Yeah, I think the offense has done pretty well. I
00:54think, you know, obviously what you're seeing, which is different than Thibodeau, is kind of
00:58a more spread out offense. In terms of everybody scoring, he's going with a 10-man rotation today.
01:03Went with 11-man in the first game. So, you know, it's kind of spread the love. They had
01:08all the starters. Mike Brown went with a different starting lineup today. Miles McBride came in at the
01:14two. Carl Anthony Towns played center. And I think it's important to note that when Carl Anthony Towns
01:19plays center, the offense kind of flows through him. So I think he better fits the role at center
01:24offensively. The problem with Carl Anthony Towns is obviously defense. That's where Mitchell Robinson
01:29can kind of make up for some of those deficiencies. The problem is we don't know when Mitchell
01:33Robinson is going to come back. So, you know, in the interim, I think the defense has done a stellar
01:38job. They were up by 20 at halftime, and I think that's where they won the game in the first half.
01:43And they held Boston to 14 in that same second quarter. There's guys getting stops,
01:48not named OG and Anobi. So defensively, what's different from this team so far as opposed to
01:55last year? Well, I think it's a combination of a lot of different things, and one being that
01:59their opponents have not shot well. And, you know, the opponents are also getting used to
02:04different circumstances. Obviously, the Boston Celtics took a step back from last season. They're
02:09missing Jason Tatum. They kind of took a posture in the offseason of a gap year where they shed a lot
02:14of salary. So I don't think this is the Boston that we're used to. So some of that, it was the
02:19opponent, but certainly OG and Anobi is the best defender on this team. And I think Mikel Bridges has
02:25taken a step up in these last two games. And when you insert a Myles McBride in the game and in the
02:30starting lineup, he's a guy that picks it up full court, and he brings a defensive intensity that
02:35certainly helps the Knicks on that end. Lastly, I love to say word is bondy. I don't know if you
02:40like it or not just yet. But I mean, I mean, just finish this off right here. Final thoughts about this
02:46game. And again, two games into the season, what are your thoughts or first impressions about this new
02:51New York Knicks team? I mean, encouraging that that's the one word I can say for sure. Listen, when you look
02:57at the schedule, and you look at two teams that won 60 plus games last season in the Cavaliers and the
03:02Celtics, and you beat them. And really, the Knicks breezed in this game. They took a lead, I think,
03:07in the second quarter and never looked back. So encouraging. Certainly, you know, when you bring
03:13a new coach in a new system, you're going to expect some bumps. We haven't really seen that in those
03:17two games. They've had two solid wins. And, you know, now they go on a road trip where they go to
03:23Miami and then they go to Milwaukee and Chicago. So we'll see where this team's at when they come back.
03:28All right. I know you got a deadline. You got to get to writing and stuff. So appreciate
03:32your time, man. And thanks for hopping on with me. Anytime, man.
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