Q. One of the big stories coming back to New York is that your guys' defense has done a great job of forcing Jalen Brunson to miss a lot of shots, but obviously he still made a couple of big ones in the clutch. Can you speak to what makes him such a tough cover in those situations?
DE'AARON FOX: Yeah, I mean, you watch him, he has some of the best footwork in the game. Obviously, he's a tough shot-maker. He can really shoot the ball. He's strong. Talk about his size, yeah, he's not tall, but he's strong and he knows how to get to his spots. He plays angles well.
But we've done, I think, a good job on him through the course of the game, but he's made big shots. He's been a Clutch Player of the Year, obviously. Probably the biggest reason why they're here. But we have to continue to try to make it tough on him, and I think we're doing a pretty good job at that. He's played well despite that.
Q. How is the ankle in the aftermath of, it's been a few weeks now, a couple weeks now since you initially turned it. Just where is it right now, where are you with it? I don't see any wrap. And secondarily, as a vet on this team, what are you telling your guys about the atmosphere that they're going to walk into tomorrow? Could it be easier to be away from home? In this situation?
DE'AARON FOX: I mean, ankle is what it is. So that's not really something I'm worried about.
Yeah, you're in New York. Even when they travel, you hear New York fans. When we came here during the regular season, we hit them first, they hit us back in the mouth, and then we just kind of weren't able to get our wheels turning again. But I think we've been pretty good on the road throughout the playoffs, and obviously this team has been really good at home as well.
We got to try to come out, and obviously easier said than done, but try to take the crowd out of it as quickly as possible. I think even like our Game 7, we never really let the crowd get into the game. Obviously, easier said than done. But just trying to negate some of their runs. You know you're going to come in here, it's going to be loud, it's going to, don't want to use the word "hostile," but it's going to be hostile.
So you just try to not let the crowd get on their toes too much because obviously this team plays, and usually it's more so role players than star players that play better at home.
Q. In one word, what's the mindset headed into Game 3 and why that word?
DE'AARON FOX: Resilience. Obviously losing two games at home is never ideal, but we have to be able to let those two games go and look forward, look ahead toward the game that's in front of us.
Q. Do you think that because you have played a strong series between Minnesota and OKC it has a negative effect in the Finals?
DE'AARON FOX: Obviously we had some tough series before. We played some teams that were physical just like the Knicks are. Those things can take a toll. But it's the playoffs. Everybody's banged up. Everybody's something's hurting on every player that plays heavy minutes. That's never an excuse. But we have to come out and we have to play better.
Q. What's it been like to have Luke as a teammate throughout this run? I know he's been in this setting with Boston, and obviously got the big block for you guys in Game 7 against Oklahoma City. What has he brought to this team and what has it meant to have him in this moment?
DE'AARON FOX: I think it's good, especially when you have someone who has been through this type of thing before. He just kind of brings a steady presence. Obviously when you're backing up Victor, that's a tough task because you're never going to give us everything that he leaves behind when he's not on the court. But I definitely think he's been great for us and he's been through these moments and he's kind of a calm presence. He knows exactly what his strengths are and he brings those every game.
Q. Perhaps not that much Finals related, but more about you, how has your relationship been over the past year with everything with Under Armour, Curry brand, you switching the sneakers in the playoffs and building a new pair and stuff like that?
DE'AARON FOX: I don't really have much to say about it, at least not right now.
Q. You seem to have found some rhythm in that run in the fourth quarter. How can you take that and apply it more consistently in Game 3?
DE'AARON FOX: Just trying to stay aggressive. I think coming out of the gate with your foot on the gas, especially on the road, especially, obviously being down 0-2, you have to try to come out and be the aggressor. We can't come out and play from behind, or when we get a lead we have to try to find ways to sustain it, because I think we had double-digit leads in both games. So obviously the NBA is a game of runs and you're playing against a good team. At times they're going to miss shots, at times they're going to make shots later in the shot clock or someone is going to make a tough shot. But we have to try to find a way to build upon the leads that we've gotten.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports