ADMITTING THAT HE WAS NOT 100% HEALTHY.
OH, YEAH -- I WAS -- I MEAN, YEAH, I HAVE SOME KNICKKNACK
INJURIES LAST GAME. GOT HIT IN THE KNEE AND JUST HAD
TO PLAY SMART. TRIED TO GIVE IT A GO.
JUST DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT SO TIB DECIDED NOT TO PLAY ME IN THE
FOURTH. AS FAR AS THE SEASON, I CAN'T
COMPLAIN. I CAME TO A WINNING TEAM.
IT WAS A GREAT GROUP TO PLAY WITH, AND THEY LOVE PLAYING WITH
ONE ANOTHER. T
THE SYNERGY THEY BUILT WAS UNBELIEVABLE, UNREAL.
IT'S TOUGH WHEN YOU LOSE. I KNOW WE SPOKE ABOUT JULIUS
A LOT THIS SERIES, AND NOW THAT THE SEASON IS OVER, ARE YOU
SURPRISED HE WAS NOT ABLE TO HAVE --
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, SURPRISED -- WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
CAN YOU HEAR ME? I SAID WHAT DO YOU MEAN.
YEAH, HE NEVER FOUND THE SHOTS AND HE HAD A GREAT
SEASON -- IT'S ALL ABOUT JUST
ADJUSTING, YOU KNOW. I TOLD HIM, AND I STILL DO
BELIEVE IN HIM AND WILL RIDE WITH HIM TO THE END LIKE
EVERYBODY ON THE TEAM, LIKE HE GOT US HERE, AND SO IT'S ALL
ABOUT ADJUSTMENT, AND MAKING THE ADJUSTMENTS DURING THE GAME AND
JUST LEARNING FROM ALL OF YOUR EXPERIENCES, YOU KNOW.
NOW, THE NEXT TIME WHEN HE'S BACK IN THE POST SEASON, HE HAS
A FOUNDATION TO WORK FROM SO IF ANYTHING, IT'S JUST A LEARNING
EXPERIENCE. I DON'T KNOW WHEN WE WILL
TALK TO YOU AGAIN. IT WAS SUCH A GREAT STORY FOR
YOU TO BE TRADED HERE AND WHAT YOU DID.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE?
WITH STAYING HERE? OR WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
YEAH. YOU KNOW HOW THAT GOES, MAN.
THAT'S NOT UP TO ME, MARK, THAT'S UP TO THE FRONT OFFICE.
YOU KNOW THEY GOT BIG PLANS, AND WHO KNOWS IF I MAY BE BACK, AND
I DON'T KNOW, I WILL LET MY AGENT AND THEM TALK ABOUT IT,
BUT IT'S REALLY NOT UP TO ME AT ALL.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO LEAVE IT LIKE THAT.
BUT I WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK, AND WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO PLAY
FOR THE KNICKS OR BE IN NEW YORK, I LOVE IT.
JULIUS RANDLE TONIGHT, 23 POINTS, 8 OF 21 BUT EIGHT
TURNOVERS. HERE HE IS AFTER THE GAME.
HEY, JULIUS, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS THE MOST DIFFERENT IN
THE REGULAR SEASON WHEN YOU AND THE KNICKS DOMINATED THE HAWKS
AND WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS SEASON.
COURTESY TO THEM. THEY MADE MORE PLAYS THAN WE
DID. MELISSA ANDREWS.
YOU SO FAMOUSLY PROCLAIMED EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE'RE HERE,
AND I AM WONDERING IF YOU CAN EXTEND THAT LARGER TO THE
SEASON. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN
PART OF THE KNICKS HAVE NOW ARRIVED EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IT'S
NUT NOT HOW YOU WANTED IT TO END?
YEAH, WE'RE BRINGING BASKETBALL BACK THAT THE CITY
CAN BE PROUD OF, AND THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY THAT AND WE HAVE
SOMETHING TO BUILD ON FOR THE FUTURE.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF TONIGHT? IT LOOKED LIKE IN THE FIRST HALF
YOU WERE REALLY IN A GROOVE, AND THEN THE SECOND HALF, YOU KNOW,
THE TURNOVERS, WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE?
I HAVE TO GO AND LOOK AT THE FILM.
I KNOW IT'S HARD TO REFLECT COMING OFF THE GAME TONIGHT, AND
THERE WAS SO MUCH GROWTH THIS SEASON FOR YOU PERSONALLY AS THE
TEAM, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE WORK, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD
OF? JUST WHO WE WERE AS A TEAM
NIGHT IN AND NIGHT OUT. IT'S TOUGH TO PROCESS RIGHT NOW,
AND THE WAY THINGS ENDED, BUT WE'LL BE BACK, SO --
JULIUS, WHAT DO YOU THINK -- DO YOU THINK THERE WERE TANGIBLE
THINGS YOU GUYS JUST COULDN'T EXECUTE ON THE FLOOR?
TOP OF MIND THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
LIKE I SAID, WE'LL BE BACK NEXT YEAR.
AFTER ALL YOU ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT
FOR THIS DREAM SEASON TO COME TO AN END?
NOT REALLY PROCESSING THAT RIGHT NOW.
I MEAN, IT'S TOUGH TO PROCESS THAT RIGHT NOW.
STEVE POPPER? THIS MIGHT BE SORT OF ALONG
THOSE LINES, BUT YOU TALKED SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT LAST SUMMER
MEANT TO YOU, AND HOW ANXIOUS ARE YOU TO GET BACK AFTER WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE GROWTH OF THE TEAM, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
FUTURE HOLDS? VERY ANXIOUS.
VERY ANXIOUS TO GET BACK, GET BACK TO THE GRIND.
RJ BARRETT FINISHING UP WITH 17 POINTS AND FIVE ASSISTS.
HERE HE IS AFTER THE GAME? HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS YOUR OWN
GAME? I THINK FOR ME PERSONALLY,
YOU KNOW, I STARTED OUT NOT PLAYING THE BEST, BUT I THOUGHT
I WAS ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT ALONG THE WAY.
AFTER GAME THREE I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO A RHYTHM AND FILL IT
OUT A LITTLE BIT. I THINK IT WAS A GOOD FIRST
EXPERIENCE, AND DEFINITELY LOOKING FOR MANY MORE.
REBECCA HAARLOW. RJ, THIS TEAM GREW IN MANY
WAYS AND IT'S HARD TO REFLECT RIGHT NOW AT ALL THE WORK THIS
TEAM HAS DONE. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I AM JUST PROUD OF US LAYING A FOUNDATION, YOU KNOW, LAYING A
FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE, AND GETTING THE KNICKS BACK ON THE
RIGHT TRACK. AND, SHOOT, I'M 20 AND I AM
HOPING TO BE HERE FOR A LONG TIME AND HOPING TO WIN MANY MORE
GAMES AND GET TO MANY MORE PLAYOFFS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND
HOPING FOR ALL THAT AND I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE
FOR US. IT WAS A LOT OF OUR FIRST TIMES
IN THE PLAYOFFS, AND NOW WE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.