The Knicks might never lose again.
New York hosted a few old pals from Minny and struggled mightily but ultimately pulled off the rare preseason-OT win thanks to the backups’ backups effort.
Here’s what we heard before and after Thursday’s game.
Mike Brown opened up on the emphasis on the little things on plays:
"Those are the great plays that are very small that won't show up in the stat sheet that are going to make you a great offensive team at the end of the day"
pic.twitter.com/JBz1rW4lzm
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks)
October 10, 2025
Mike Brown
On read-and-react offensive philosophy:
“I’m glad you brought that up because that’s not a play call, that’s a read. If the defense is playing a certain way, we’re doing our stuff, but it’s a read … BOOM … go right back to him, drive and finish at the rim. We’re getting there. It may take a while. It’s not easy, but the guys have been fantastic and trying to learn and grow.”
On current priorities over game results:
“Right now, I don’t care if we win or lose, as long as we keep trying to play the right way and trust it. Because we have a great shooting team, not a good shooting team, a great shooting team. If we’re getting catch and shoot shots and the feet are set and the defense is collapsing and then have to go back out – so we call those two-way stunts – I’ll take that every day, anytime of the day or night.”
On offensive principles and pace/space focus:
“I want them to learn how to play basketball the right way offensively within our staples. That’s pace, whether it’s in the full court or the half court. And it’s spacing. IF you hit that paint and you don’t have the ball, don’t just stand there. Get out right now and re-space to create more opportunities for driving and kicking… Space the right way all the time…(execute) ball reversals to move the defense. Paint touches, not just on the dribble drive with cuts and rolls and quick decisions. Hey, it hits your hands, shoot it, pass it, snap drive it to try to collapse the defense. Those are things that we believe in.”
On the team’s uneven offensive performance and adjustments:
“I thought at the start of the game we had a lot of great shots, the type of shots that we wanted; we just didn’t make them, which I’m OK with. Especially right now. I want them to keep taking those shots. I thought after they didn’t go in through the first part of the first quarter, our guys stopped trusting it a little bit. And we started holding onto the ball a little bit too much. And the ball wasn’t popping, the space wasn’t there. We weren’t touching the paint. All of the things that we talk about (weren’t happening). We have to be a little bit more consistent with it throughout the course of the game.”
On family attending MSG debut and excitement for the team:
“Yeah, I’m excited. I’m excited about my family coming to the game. I got my sister-in-law, too, in town. I’m excited for the guys to play at MSG.”
On the meaning of Madison Square Garden as home court:
“MSG is such an iconic venue. And whether it’s a preseason game or regular-season game, to be able to know that that’s your home court every night and to do it for the first time, it gives you goosebumps.”
On what preseason games mean for the team’s development:
“These guys have been working hard, and so to be able to go out there and showcase their talents and showcase their work, and, now everything’s not gonna be pretty. Minnesota’s a good team, and when you face another team or a different colored jersey, sometimes you take a step back a little bit, and I expect that. But that’s what the preseason’s about. It’s learning, growing one step at a time, but for our guys to be able to have a chance to go out there and showcase what they’ve been working on behind closed doors is an exciting thing for me looking at them — and it should be for them knowing that the fans and their families are gonna be in the stands and be able to see them for the first time at MSG.”
On lineup competition and the significance of starting vs. finishing:
“I think it has a chance to be pretty good. They’re long, they’re big, they’re versatile, and that’s what makes them exciting. So I think it has a chance to be pretty good — but at the end of the day, a lot of people want to start. A lot of people look at the starting unit as the be-all, end-all, but you know: to start is an honor, but also to be able to finish games is an honor. Both hold a lot of weight.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s performance and personality:
“He’s been impressive. You don’t really know guys until you get around them. The most impressive thing is he’s got a collection of monster trucks, they’re out of this world. He drove a blue one yesterday, before I saw him in my rearview mirror. I heard him playing country music. He’s got a great personality. Obviously basketball-wise, you think he’s athletic, but some of the lobs that he catches are just amazing. And then you know he’s got good feet and he can switch onto certain guys, but to actually see him sit down and step-slide and guard guys, all that other stuff, it’s pretty impressive.”
On Robinson adapting to his uptempo system:
“He’s getting better, for sure. He does it in spurts, like most of us, doing it in spurts. Got to get to a point where it’s just natural every possession. With the way that Mitch runs, he’s a monster in a lot of different ways. Man, he could take somebody’s heart at that position just with his relentless pressure he can put on the opposing center when it comes to sprinting up and down the floor.”
On giving all players preseason minutes at The Garden:
“Yeah, we’re going to start cutting it down, but one thing that I’d like to try to do is give everybody some minutes in The Garden. These guys work too hard. They’ve been too good of teammates to not try to find a way to get everybody on the floor at some point. It might not be tonight, maybe the next game. I don’t know. But that definitely is one of my goals.”
On making his coaching debut at MSG:
“It’s exciting. On the ride down, it was exciting. Love being in MSG, knowing that’s where we’re going to play every night for our home games. And it’s exciting. Because it’s iconic. And there’s always a buzz about being here. Not just from the staff, the players — everybody. It’s hard to duplicate any place else. So it’s a good feeling.”
"Everything is new, so attention to detail is going to be key for us to get better faster"
Jalen Brunson talks about the adjustments to the new offense
pic.twitter.com/UvQe6wdQbz
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks)
October 10, 2025
Jalen Brunson
On adjunsting to Brown’s offense:
“Everything is new, so attention to detail is going to be key for us to get better faster.”
On the need for a better feel for the Knicks’ new offense:
“What we’re working on right now is the basis of our offense and everything. It’s going to take time. It’s not always going to be perfect but it’s all about how we continue to trust it and learn it.”
Mikal Bridges on Mike Brown:
"Accountability. You could make some good plays & a couple plays you feel like you're not doing the right thing he's going to let you know. Why wouldn't you want that? If we want to get to where we want to get to there ain't gonna be no Mr. Nice Guy"
pic.twitter.com/H3ZwcXbmAP
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks)
October 10, 2025
Mikal Bridges
On his early impressions of Mike Brown’s coaching style:
“Just being on guys, holding guys accountable, preaching everything every single day. He and his coaches, they all run a tight ship. You can tell that whatever we’re doing out there, they’re all on the same page, no matter what the situation is.”
On the value of consistency across the coaching staff:
“And that’s a lot of credit to him… for everybody to be on the same page makes it easier for us players when they talk to us because any coach you talk to, you’re going to hear the same thing.”
On how Brown pushes players with accountability:
“It’s been great, man. And I love just how he pushes us. Accountability. You can make some good plays and a couple plays, you feel like you’re not doing the right thing. He’s going let you know. Why wouldn’t you want that? Maybe in the moment, some guys might be a little upset about it. But if you’re going to get where we want to get to, man, it ain’t gonna be no Mr. Nice guy. You’ve gotta hold people accountable. And he doesn’t do it in a disrespectful way. He just wants greatness out of everybody and just being accountable is great.”
Former Knick and current Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was asked tonight if he was surprised to see Tom Thibodeau get let go: “For sure. You guys have heard me. I love Thibs. I could talk all day about Thibs. It surprised me, but business is business. I think the trade last…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley)
October 9, 2025
Donte DiVincenzo
On being surprised by Thibodeau’s firing:
“For sure. You guys have heard me. I love Thibs. I could talk all day about Thibs. It surprised me, but business is business. I think the trade last year was a surprise. So anything in this league is not off the table. You can go across the league and see people get traded, coaches get fired. It just is what it is. I was more impressed with seeing him in San Diego. He looked healthy. He looked happy. That’s the good-stuff side of it.”
On managing emotions after Thibodeau’s firing:
“It’s surprising, but you have to understand that business is business. You have to separate the personal and the relationships and the emotional side of things when stuff like that happens. You get close to people in a short span of time. When stuff like that happens, you can disagree with it or whatever, but they have a vision of what they want to do and you respect that. And I’m not on that side so, with all due respect, I don’t necessarily care that much. But like I said, just to see him healthy, happy and feeling good and sounding good was great.”
On Thibodeau’s coaching philosophy and minutes distribution:
“Everybody has their philosophy, and every player wants to play. The thing about Thibs is, he was trying to win every game. If you look down the list, guys have had career years under Thibs. You could say whatever the reason is, but the facts are guys had career years and guys liked playing for him.”
On his reaction to getting traded to Minnesota:
“Just the surprise of getting traded. The timing of it, I wasn’t expecting it at all. So as time passes, you start to put your mental where your feet are at, versus trying to figure out why … Minnesota embraced me and my mindset, and everything shifted. As the season went on, I just got more comfortable, and I got settled.”
On the potential Knicks–Timberwolves Finals matchup last season:
“It was crazy. As it was going along, obviously you support those guys as friends and you’re watching the playoffs, they keep going. So you’re like: How crazy would that s— be? The headlines, the storylines behind that?”
On selling his Westchester home:
“I held on to it. I didn’t know if I wanted to come back here in the summer time, and then if I do come back, I would spend the time in the city versus Westchester County. That was the reason behind it. And property taxes is no joke.”
On Mike Brown replacing Thibodeau:
“I don’t want to make it seem like Thibs getting fired is a thing that I vouch for, but they got a really good coach in Mike Brown. I think he’s going to do an incredible job of managing the players, managing expectations and getting the best out of everybody. You saw what he did at Sacramento his first year. And I like the way he approaches the media and the team. It’s different. I think it’ll be refreshing for guys. I think it’ll be good.”
"The pump fake on repeat from Randle, we've seen that before"
–– Damn
@LT__Murray 
pic.twitter.com/kGBULTGoUk
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork)
October 10, 2025
Julius Randle
On Thibodeau’s firing and his reaction:
“I wasn’t here, so it really wasn’t none of my business. But I’m appreciative of Thibs and the time I had with him the time I was here, but I didn’t really have a reaction.”
On if he was surprised by the firing:
“Not at all.”
On seeing Thibodeau during the offseason:
“It was great catching up with him, see how he’s been doing. He’s been traveling to a bunch of different camps and stuff like that, so just talking about that and the summer.”
On his heated exchange with Thibodeau last season:
“Anything can happen in the heat of the game. It doesn’t mean there’s friction.”
New Zach Lowe Show! Giannis future/Knicks talks w/
@IanBegley, then Spurs deep drive and reasons to watch Wiz, Nets, and Jazz w/
@MoDakhil_NBA:
Spotify:
https://t.co/L1Y72Jbvzu
YouTube:
https://t.co/ipDmnhc5in
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA)
October 9, 2025
Zach Lowe
On the framework of a potential Giannis–Knicks trade:
“If there is a trade for Giannis at any point, KAT almost has to go out in the trade to make it workable in any way… That makes Mitchell Robinson the one and only proven center on the team… So he’s a massively important piece.”
Asked Doc Rivers about yesterday's report regarding the Bucks and a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade after today's practice:
pic.twitter.com/8vgbCAGf6f
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm)
October 8, 2025
Doc Rivers
On the Giannis trade rumors being media fabrication:
“Another [report]? It’s unbelievable. What are you supposed to do? I’ve been coaching 26–27 years and one thing that I know is 30 teams call 30 teams. ‘Hey, would you like to trade Chris Paul?’ And you say no. That does not constitute a conversation. I read [in the ESPN report] where it said several conversations. Well, that never happened. It was a conversation where a team called, and Jon has been saying no now for 11 years. So I don’t know why this is a new story, but I guess it is.”
On media narrative creation and Giannis trade rumors:
“If you read his comments this summer, every comment he’s made is about being in Milwaukee and loving this city, but for some reason — and it’s funny: you create the story, and then you report on the story you created, and that’s what it feels like, and it gets old for us. But at the end of the day, there’s nothing we can do about it, and I can tell you: Jon has never called a team about Giannis, and until that happens, you really don’t have a story.”
Paul Pierce
On the events surrounding his DUI arrest:
“Imagine being stuck in stand still traffic for 45 mins and falling asleep
. I took this picture that night because I never been in stand still traffic for this long.”
On the reason behind the incident:
“I’m old, I’m tired, and I fell asleep
. I’m good y’all thanks for the love.”
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