New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet spoke on Tuesday, June 2, on the eve of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, describing a mix of anticipation and emotional restraint as his team prepared for the opening game of the series.
“Yeah, it’s special. Obviously this has been a long break, another long break we’ve had leading up. With that comes some idle mind and time to think about things and emotions and whatnot come to you,” Shamet said when asked what it means to reach this stage. “And it’s kind of playing the game trying not to spend too much time reflecting, getting all into all that, waiting, pushing that off until we’re done to kind of fully breathe everything in.”
He added that the buildup to the series carried a noticeable emotional weight during the team’s final travel day. “But the drive over, yeah, there’s a lot of emotions. It’s pretty cool, pretty surreal to be playing in the NBA finals. So, really grateful, really excited. Tired of waiting, ready for tomorrow so we can just get this thing started.”
Shamet also addressed the Knicks’ bench dynamic under head coach Mike Brown, highlighting the team’s internal cohesion amid shifting roles throughout the season. “Truthfully, with this team, I’ve said it a number of times, we’ve got a group that truly roots for each other and wants each other to succeed,” he said. “There’s a lot of reasons on paper where it would look like you could get a little bitter about so and so’s taking so and so’s minutes or whatever the case may be.”
He continued by pointing to the roster’s adaptability. “But truthfully, this team, we really have a special group where we all root for each other and know that that job and that role could look different for everybody or anybody any night,” Shamet said. “At the end of the day, wins speak much louder than any of that other stuff.”
When reflecting on his own path to the Finals stage with the Knicks, Shamet emphasized perspective over hindsight. “I’m a believer that everything you go through, everything that might seem small or big prepares you for where you’re ultimately headed in one way or another,” he said. “There’s four more wins between me and doing that, that I’m more worried about. And one win at a time really.”
Shamet also praised Karl-Anthony Towns for his impact throughout the season and playoffs. “KAT’s one of the most talented basketball players I’ve ever been fortunate to be teammates with,” he said. “He’s been a fantastic facilitator, playmaker at the top of the floor for us… and he’s done that.”
Looking ahead to the matchup against San Antonio, Shamet noted the importance of discipline against a deep rotation. “They’re obviously a very talented group, a deep group,” he said. “We’ve got to be prepared for that and take our individual matchups seriously. Understanding personnel and knowing a multitude of guys, not just honing in on one matchup, I think is going to be important obviously at this stage.”
