San Antonio Spurs 115, New York Knicks 111
Q. For either of you guys, Mike came in and said that there was some stagnancy and maybe they punched first. I guess does that surprise you, and do you kind of feel like that happened, that they kind of came out a little bit more aggressive at first?
JOSH HART: No, it doesn't surprise us at all. They were down 2-0. You knew they were going to come out with a sense of urgency and a sense of desperation. We should have started the game off better. We should have started the third quarter off better.
So, you know, back to 0-0. We are going to learn tomorrow, watch film and prepare for the game on [Wednesday].
Q. Mike also spoke about the officiating. Not trying to get you guys fined, but what is it like throughout course of the game dealing with that frustration, especially in a high-pressure environment, and Mike talking about the discrepancy of the second half free throws?
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: That ain't cost us the game. Turned the ball over. Didn't execute. Didn't do what got us 13 straight wins in a row. That's how you lose a game. We didn't do what we've been doing for 13. We decided to do something different, and it ain't going to work. Throwing the ball away is a clear indication of how you're going to lose the game, especially in the playoffs.
Q. Do you feel like, obviously there was a lot of anticipation for the game, that the crowd kind of lived up to the expectations you had? And with the extra attention and security, etc., that went into the game, were you worried about that at all having any effect whatsoever on your performance?
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: Of course our fans brought it. They always do. Of course they lived up to the expectations. Exceeded them. We didn't do our job to give them something to cheer for [during] the game. Nothing has to do with us stepping on that court and executing and being disciplined in our game plan and approach.
Q. You guys stayed for 45 days without losing. Does this loss here, the first game since the Finals from '99 at your home, make you feel annoyed, angry or especially mad you lost this game?
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: It's disappointing when you lose. You always want to step on the court and win. It's always about being in the present. To be in the position that we were going into halftime, to come out in the third the way we did and to not find a game to win the game obviously is disappointing. It's always going to be disappointing when we lose. We are competitors. Every single one of us in the locker room, we want to win every time we step on the floors.
Of course, we're going to be disappointed. But we're also professionals and have to understand tomorrow we have to get back to work, get back to the drawing board and get ready for Game 4.
Q. What did you make out of the shots down the stretch, or was there something the other team was doing to make it difficult for you to get on a run and come back?
JOSH HART: There's a couple shots that didn't fall that we had good looks on. I feel like we didn't get enough stops during the game. We get stops, we play our brand of basketball, and you're not worried about makes and misses.
Like I said, we've got to learn from it, watch it tomorrow. At the end of the day, whether we won or lost, we're going to do the same thing. Watch tomorrow, get better and prepare for the game on [Wednesday].
Same mentality.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports