Clint Capela wasn’t shy in his taunting of the Knicks prior to game five, questioning New York’s toughness while saying the Hawks were getting ready to send the Knicks “on vacation” on their own floor Wednesday night.
“I don’t know if they’re physical, but they’re trying to be physical,” Capela told reporters on Tuesday. “I feel like if they were really physical, we’d have more problems than we have. I feel like they’re trying to, but it’s not working…we showed them that we can be physical, too, so that’s why we are where we are. We have to confirm that one more time tomorrow.”
Asked about the Hawks center’s comments after their own shootaround on Tuesday, the Knicks were dismissive, instead keeping the focus on keeping their season alive.
"Why would I give a hell what Clint Capela has to say?" Julius Randle said. “Just heard about it and do not care.”
Randle was whistled for a flagrant foul late in game for after shoving former Knick Danilo Gallinari, shortly before the Hawks finished off a beatdown in game four to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Knicks contained Capela for the first two games of the series but looked overmatched in Atlanta. But if the team is using Capela’s notable comments as bulletin board material, the players aren’t revealing that.
"I'm 32 years old," Derrick Rose said. "I never talk s--t like that in my whole life. I'm not going to start now once Clint Capela starts talking crazy…I'm too old for that s--t, bro."
The Madison Square Garden crowd will likely give Capela an earful in game five Wednesday night, but it will be up to the Knicks to give the crowd something to cheer about as they will look to keep their season alive and make sure Capela’s comments don’t become prophetic.
But for now, they don’t seem to care what Capela has to say, even if he is questioning the team’s toughness.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” RJ Barrett said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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