FULL PRESS CONFERENCE — Steph Castle talks Game 3 Win!

[0:00] a box score for me, and we got a box score, or no? [0:05] Anybody got a box score? [0:07] Chance? [0:07] It's all right. [0:11] It's all right, it's all right. [0:18] OK, let's start standing here on the left, Rachel. [0:20] Rachel Nichols, Fox Sports. [0:22] What do you think the difference was in this close fourth quarter [0:25] as opposed to the previous few close fourth quarters? [0:28] I think finishing our possessions late [0:30] with a rebound defensively. [0:33] I mean, whether we were playing fast out of it or slowing it [0:35] down, I think just not allowing them [0:38] to get second-chance buckets, especially late. [0:41] I feel like those I went in, they hurt the most. [0:44] And I think we did a good job closing out possessions. [0:51] First row right here on the left, Jeff. [0:53] The three-pointer you hit with a little under two minutes ago, [0:57] Vic kind of throws you the ball at 8 o'clock, [0:58] and you have to just do something with it. [1:00] What's going through your mind in that situation, [1:02] or is there even time for something [1:04] to go through your mind in that situation? [1:05] Well, I saw the clock the whole time. [1:08] I mean, I was just waiting on it just in case he did pass it. [1:11] But I was honestly getting ready to go crash and try and rebound. [1:14] But yeah, I mean, late clock, I mean, at that point in the game, [1:17] I feel like you have to be alert and know the clock. [1:19] So I was just able to get enough space to get one off. [1:23] Second row on the right. [1:25] Esteban, Liam McCune from Sports Illustrated. [1:27] Thanks for taking a few minutes. [1:28] This was a gutsy home win in front of a rocking MSG crowd. [1:32] How did you and your teammates come together in the face of the adversity of playing in Madison Square Garden's first NBA Finals game in 30 years? [1:39] Yeah, I mean, just like you said, you know, it's their first Finals game in 30 years. [1:45] We expected it to be louder here. [1:46] I mean, we said coming into the game, you know, they're going to have their runs. [1:51] They're going to make shots. [1:52] And when that happens, you know, just stick together, stay poised, and I mean, just really play together. [1:58] And I feel like we did that for a majority of the 48 minutes. [2:01] And I feel like that's why we came out on top. [2:03] Third row. [2:05] Yeah, Steph, Matt Goosbon, Spurs on his side. [2:07] I know you don't have a box score up there, but even on nights when De'Aaron's not shooting at his best, [2:12] he finds ways to impact the offense. [2:13] He led the team in assists tonight. [2:16] How would you describe your trust in him when the game gets late, [2:19] just the way he's able to deliver in whatever way he's able to? [2:23] I think Fox is such a smart player. [2:29] Having the ball in his hands late is like a comfort thing for us. [2:34] And I feel like whether he's shooting the ball well or not, he generates a good shot for us pretty much every time. [2:40] And I think his ability to touch the paint against whoever and whether it's a layup for himself like he did late [2:47] or finding kickouts like he did for Dev, especially late, you know, those are all big-time plays. [2:53] And, I mean, the box score doesn't always show it, but, I mean, the way he's affected our team all year is the reason why we're here. [3:00] Second row, Tanya. [3:02] Tanya Ganguly, New York Times. [3:04] Victor was in here and he said you might be the most mature player on the team. [3:08] What do you think of that assessment? [3:11] I don't know. [3:12] Do you feel like the most mature player on the team? [3:14] I mean, I might be. [3:17] Honestly, probably, yeah, other than Vic. [3:21] I mean, yeah, probably Vic would be number one. [3:24] I don't go to sleep at 9 p.m. [3:25] But I'm probably a close second. [3:31] Last row. [3:32] Steph, it's Randall Williams from Bloomberg News. [3:34] This series has been probably one of the most physical that I can recall in recent memory. [3:39] I wonder what is your mindset as you continue to play. [3:42] Some fouls go your way, some don't. [3:44] How do you continue playing through that as the momentum goes back and forth? [3:51] I mean, it's basketball at the end of the day. [3:55] I mean, playoffs have really been physical for us leading up to this moment. [4:00] So I feel like our previous series kind of prepared us for, you know, the physicality that they bring. [4:06] And I feel like we're just built for it. [4:08] I mean, we have a lot of guys that, you know, aren't going to back down. [4:12] And, I mean, we all, you know, stand together, you know, regardless of what happens on the court. [4:16] So, I mean, us just being physical throughout the whole 48 minutes, I feel like it's just, it's grown as part of our brand of our basketball. [4:25] Last row on the right. [4:28] Hi, Kemal Bosco, the Haber name.com from Istanbul. [4:31] You got the sports back into the series. [4:34] What is the biggest challenge heading into game four? [4:37] Probably just not getting bored with the things that work for us and sticking with the process. [4:45] You know, even though it might not work out all the time, you know, they might make a shot. [4:49] You know, they might get an offensive rebound. [4:51] But, you know, sticking with our process and, you know, not getting bored with it and understanding what won us this game and bring it into the next game. [4:59] Standing here on the left, Mike. [5:01] Hey, Steph. [5:02] Mike Vorkanoff with The Athletic. [5:03] You guys seem like you're at your best when you're just able to get to the rim over and over. [5:07] And, obviously, you do that a lot tonight. [5:09] Do you feel like the Knicks try to make some adjustments throughout these games to wall off the paint as best they can? [5:15] And what do you need to do to be able to continue to get to the rim as much as you have? [5:21] I wouldn't say they made too big of adjustments against us. [5:26] I feel like that's just how they play, honestly. [5:29] You know, watching them throughout the year, playing them early in the year. [5:32] I mean, they always, you know, load the paint. [5:34] And, I mean, yeah, just us playing to our strengths, you know, not allowing that to, you know, stop our aggressiveness getting to the paint. [5:44] And just understanding when we're being aggressive and touching the paint, it's not always for us to score. [5:49] I feel like that just opens up, you know, passing lanes and puts them in rotations. [5:54] And I feel like when we change sides and move the ball like that, especially after a paint touch, I feel like we're pretty hard to stop. [6:00] Last round to the left. [6:02] Over here. [6:02] Obviously, a long way to go, but what's the relief in getting a win here as opposed, you know, 0-3 hole have been a pretty deep hole to get out of. [6:09] What's the relief to get one? [6:13] I don't know. [6:15] I don't know if I would say relief. [6:17] I mean, I feel like we still haven't really done anything. [6:20] Obviously, we're still down 2-1. [6:22] And we're looking forward to the next 48 minutes. [6:26] But, I mean, yeah, whether we won or lost this game, I mean, the series wouldn't have been over for us. [6:31] So, obviously, it feels good to win, especially on the road after dropping, you know, two bad ones. [6:39] But, I mean, yeah, I think our confidence has, you know, been the same throughout this series, regardless of what happened. [6:46] So, I mean, I feel like we're just looking forward to the next 48. [6:50] Last row, Ben. [6:52] Steph, part of the reason why Victor was praising your maturity was because of the free throws that you hit at the end. [6:57] He said he didn't really hear the crowd, but it was loud. [7:00] What was going through your mind during that situation? [7:02] Did you hear them all, and how did it feel to hit both? [7:06] I mean, it felt great. [7:08] I mean, obviously, you hear them. [7:09] You're in the arena. [7:10] But, I mean, at that point, I mean, it's just you and the rim, honestly. [7:15] I mean, we work on, you know, pressure, free throws, you know, situations like that all the time we're in the gym. [7:22] I mean, obviously, you can't, you know, replicate anything like that. [7:25] But I think just to go up there and just our will and want to win, you know, I feel like no matter who went up there and went to the line, I feel like we would have knocked them down. [7:37] Fourth row in the middle. [7:39] Kyle Wagner, New York Daily News. [7:40] It seems like your ball pressure and denial has gotten the Knicks out of a lot of the ball movement that they've been doing. [7:48] A few of them hit a high percentage of their shots. [7:51] Would you still say you've done a good job this game, or, like, how would you classify it? [7:56] I mean, I have to go back and watch it. [8:00] But, I mean, just going off of looking back on it right now, I feel like my aggressiveness throughout the game was pretty consistent, pretty solid. [8:11] I probably picked up a couple bad fouls. [8:14] I mean, they didn't really hurt me too bad. [8:16] Obviously, I didn't have to come out the game for any of them. [8:19] But, yeah, just trying to use my aggressiveness but still stay smart while doing it. [8:23] I feel like we did a good job. [8:25] Thank you.