00:00Jalen, do you play out scenarios at all as to who you're going to play right now?
00:05Or does the focus solely go on focusing on just getting your team ready?
00:11Make sure both. Obviously you want to focus on being ready as a team,
00:16but you got to prepare for both and just understand the differences between the two.
00:24But you have two really good teams going at it right now.
00:29Yeah, we got to prepare for both.
00:32Did you see the Juan Soto R.H. team?
00:37No.
00:37He hit a home run yesterday and he did your celebration after three.
00:42Do you know him at all? What are your thoughts?
00:46I've met him, talked to him a couple times, but it's pretty dope to see for sure.
00:52The last time you guys had this long of a layoff in terms of in between series, you guys were
00:56a step slow in game one.
00:58Do you tinker with how you guys approach this break? Do you guys change anything?
01:02Or how do you approach this knowing that you kind of have to start strong going forward?
01:05Yeah, I think obviously just being ready to go by the time game one hits.
01:12Just comparing our situation from last time.
01:18Just being mentally and physically locked in.
01:22I think that's really important for us and that's what we have to focus on these next couple days.
01:27We all made a big deal about you guys changing offensive strategies during playoffs, but is that something you guys
01:33had all year where you work on these different scenarios and versatile approaches?
01:38And how does that help you come as you approach this that you guys have so many different options, ways
01:42to play?
01:42Yeah, I feel like we've always had different ways to approach things.
01:50What's the frequency of what we're running at the time?
01:53So being able to have that in our back pocket and obviously being able to adjust during the playoffs is
02:01not that easy.
02:03But it's definitely something that we've practiced and we can continue to make good habits out of those.
02:09Sure.
02:10Mikhail was talking a little bit about trying to ignore us and the outside always talking about how good you
02:16guys have been playing.
02:17I mean, is that hard or how do you guys stay grounded when there's so much noise about all these
02:22records that you guys are setting, all these wins, what it means for New York and staying focused on the
02:27task at hand?
02:29I think it's different for everybody.
02:32I guess I've been off social media.
02:36I may post one thing and then just go back to deleting it.
02:41But yeah, you just got to block out the noise.
02:45You got to do whatever you can to make sure you're locked in.
02:47Like I said, everyone is different.
02:49Every individual has their way of blocking out things.
02:51But it's important to not hear some of the things, you know.
02:56When there's negative things being said about you, it's important to ignore them.
03:02When there are positive things about you, it's easy to be able to read them and feel good.
03:06But you can't do one and not the other.
03:11And so just block out as best you can.
03:13James.
03:14James, a few times this season, to describe yourself and Mike, you said not afraid to fail.
03:20What is, I guess, what does that, I know what it means, but in this setting, what does that mean
03:26and look like to you?
03:27What's your relationship with your coach?
03:33Can you ask that question one more time?
03:35To you, what does not being afraid to fail look like?
03:38Yeah.
03:43Honestly, just being able to say you give me everything you got.
03:49Knowing that sometimes you might not get the end result you want.
03:53But knowing that you give you everything you want, I mean, it's all I can do at this point.
03:57Control what you can control.
03:58And so if you go out there and obviously put all the preparation, the work in,
04:03you go out there and do everything you can.
04:07Sometimes you have to live with the results.
04:09But I think that's what's important is obviously being prepared.
04:14Awesome.
04:14Awesome.
04:17Being prepared, I'm sorry.
04:18Being prepared for the worst, but obviously you're still playing for the best.
04:23Right.
04:24You mentioned one time that your real friends sort of know not to bother you about tickets and stuff.
04:30A little bigger ticket now.
04:32Anyone, do you think, try to violate the Brunson rule or has anyone tried yet or will they try it?
04:39No.
04:40If they don't catch you in a good mood like you're in the finals now and maybe they'll take a
04:44call you've been taking before?
04:46No.
04:48Two questions.
04:49Going back to your college days, what's the biggest thing that you kind of took away from like his coaching
04:55style either on the court or off the court that maybe you take into every game or what you're doing
04:59day to day from now?
05:02One thing you always talked about, it was plastered on every wall, every shirt, inside of our jerseys, everything.
05:11It was attitude.
05:12Controlling your attitude.
05:15I don't really say that as much as I used to, but I think my kind of twist on it
05:21is being able to control what you can control.
05:26Controlling your attitude, controlling your effort, controlling everything, those are the things that you can control and that's something that
05:30he always spoke.
05:33He said every day.
05:35That's how we ended huddles.
05:36That's how we started games, practices.
05:40It's kind of what his motto was and once we believed in it, everything became easier.
05:45I saw the synthesis you guys have in the locker room that plays out in the court.
05:49How much does it just make this maybe run a little bit more enjoyable in the fact that you guys
05:53just genuinely like each other?
05:55Yeah, it's been fun.
05:58I think we obviously all have a goal in mind, but being able to click at the right time and
06:06being able to understand what we're about and seeing our chemistry grow,
06:11so I think it's been pretty cool, but we know we've got a lot of work to do as well.
06:16Jalen, Mike seems to be pretty big on analytics.
06:18I'm just wondering where you stand on all the numbers that pertains to your game.
06:25Do you lean heavily on them?
06:27Is it not someone that you should pay attention to at all?
06:28I pay attention, but I don't really lean heavily on it.
06:33Last one, Jalen.
06:34You talked about it a little bit the other day, but your father hasn't been on the 1990 team.
06:39I assume you don't have concrete memories of that, but what would it mean for this kind of full circle
06:45family moment for you to be part of the team that gets them back?
06:48What would it mean for your family, I guess?
06:53That's a question I'd love to answer.
06:55Later.
06:57Later.
06:58Later.
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