It feels like the Knicks last played a basketball game five years ago.

Turns out that’s not real, and they’re also back on the schedule tonight. Yay!

Here’s the latest.

Mike Brown

On believing the Knicks can win the championship:

“I truly believe it. Now, having said that, there are things that have to go right. You got to be playing your best basketball. You have to be connected. The things that I talk about. You got to sacrifice. If you got guys on your team that aren’t sacrificing, you could be in trouble, because it’ll mess with your connectivity, which is huge. You got to have a competitive spirit. You got to want to compete every night. And you’ve got to believe. You’ve got to keep believing. Even when things are going bad. Even when you go through stretches of 2–7 or 2–9. You got to believe not just in the process — because it is a process — but you got to believe in each other.“

On peaking at the right time for the playoffs:

“Everything is geared toward being your best toward the end of the season and going into the playoffs and hopefully throughout that run. I’ve never been a guy who put stocks in everything and it’s the end of the world if it doesn’t happen in this game. That’s not life in general. Things are going to average out to however they need to at the right time. And hopefully after 70 games or whatever it is, you feel pretty good where you are going into that postseason.”

On accountability within the locker room:

“At the end of the day, in anything you do, starting with me, everybody has to be held accountable, because everybody has slippage. I have slippage. Guys on my staff have slippage. Obviously, the players have slippage, too. So we all have to hold each other accountable and I can’t get mad if I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing and somebody tells me — they’re not telling me to put me down. They’re telling me so I can be better. And help uplift the group better. So those things, which are our standard, are huge for us. Those things are not necessarily what the outside world can see. The outside world sees the shots, the points, the defense and all that. If you want to win a championship, you gotta have a team that’s talented. We have that. Can we make sure we maximize and embrace our standard every time we step on the floor? If we can, that’s what’s going to get us over the hump more than anything else.”

On Mohamed Diawara’s confidence amid Jeremy Sochan’s arrival:

“Yes, it can [hurt his confidence]. But that’s my job more than anybody else’s is to make sure I communicate with him and anybody else when that happens. There’s a part of me — and I could be wrong about this — but there’s a part of me that doesn’t think so because I started him. And I thought it would rattle him. It doesn’t rattle him. I bring him off the bench in the first half. And then I don’t play him at all in the second half. And I throw him out there the next game. The dude — at least my experience doing those things with him — he doesn’t get rattled. And like I said, the biggest one is, ‘You’re starting tonight.’ He might not even play two games and it might be a ‘big game.’ And he’s just like, OK. And the way he plays, it’s OK. He’s a pretty confident young guy.”

On the Mo-Sochan battle for backup forward minutes:

“Back and forth. It could be Jeremy tonight. It could be Mo tomorrow night. Mo has played well. He’s gotten better. Jeremy just hasn’t had an opportunity to. And the biggest thing is, obviously between the two guys is Jeremy is in his fourth season and he’s a little bigger, he’s a little stronger and he knows the league a little bit better. But Mo is coming. And I say Mo is coming because everybody needs to understand that. Not just Jeremy. But everybody. Because Mo is coming.”

On OG Anunoby’s regression after coming back from injury:

“He was playing at an extremely high level. When he was out, we even had a conversation — he was like, ‘Man, I was playing extremely well.’ Which he was. He was shooting the 3. He was rebounding. His crashes were unbelievable. He was getting out in transition. His decisions were quick and decisive. And he was really impacting the game on both ends of the floor. The injuries have happened. And he hasn’t played like that since. But he’s only been back for a few games too.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the Knicks’ work-in-progress season:

“We’re still a work in progress. New system, a new coach, new philosophy, so we’re just making sure we can do the best we can to maximize all of our opportunities of who we are in our team.”

Jalen Brunson

On the loss to the Cavs:

“Cleveland was just a bad game for us.”

Jose Alvarado

On overcoming the odds to reach the NBA:

“If you know my story, you know I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not the biggest guy. I don’t jump out the gym. But you know, when I step on that floor, I give everything I got. That’s what I owe to the game.”

On being traded to his hometown Knicks:

“Honestly, it was bittersweet. Obviously, I love New Orleans. It’s a situation I was comfortable in. But if I had to go anywhere, I’m glad it was New York. This is where I’m from. This is the culture I was raised by. I know how much the Knicks mean to everybody out here, including my family. Just to be a part of what these guys are building is dope.”

On not pushing to leave New Orleans sooner:

“I was really comfortable with the team, with the people in the organization. My family was comfortable in New Orleans. You also gotta understand that I know how dope my relationship is with the city. Guys don’t get that chance to connect with a city like that. It’s special. I got to be a part of the growing process for the organization and we won some big games for the city. But joining the Knicks, everything just lined up perfect at the right time. I think right now, this is the best situation for me.”

On how he learned about the Knicks trade:

“The organization did a great job with me. (Pelicans lead executive) Joe (Dumars) they were keeping me updated leading up to the (trade) deadline. They told me it looked like the deal was gonna happen. I just appreciate that they kept me in the loop the whole time. None of it was really a surprise, like you hear with some guys. I got to make sure my family knew so we could be ready for what’s next.”

On representing New York and playing at MSG:

“Man, I get to represent my hometown and I have a lot of pride when I put that jersey on. I’m really from the streets that’s here. It’s exciting. If you’re from here, you know how crazy the city is when the Knicks are good or when the Knicks are winning. Now, I get to be a part of that, which is crazy. I love it. Not really. Playing in (Madison Square Garden) is crazy. The fans are wild. All the games are crazy in there – they’re cheering and making noise. You see all the legends sitting courtside. I can’t wait to see what it’s like in the playoffs. I just want to be a part of us doing something special for New York. We’ve got so much talent. I’m excited to see how we come together.”

On the his Knicks expectations ahead of the playoffs:

“The Knicks are going to be a tough team to deal with. We’re gonna fight. We’re gonna do whatever it takes to win. I can’t wait.”