Red Hook is a good team. But after watching this, I don't think anybody can. Peekskill's first five guys are great players. But so are their sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th. That's too much to match up with.

That would not be fair to Red Hook. But we have a good team.

That first jumper I took, that hook shot, it felt kind of good. After that, I had a little jumper in the short corner and I knew I was feeling it, the energy inside me, that I could score down low.

As for the first-arc villains, there are five and they represent the most dangerous adversaries any X-team has ever faced. Like Uncanny X-Men, New Excalibur is the story of people thrown together by fate and wild circumstance who find their way to true and lasting friendship. They aren't out to save the world, merely to help folks cope with the mess it's in. They may act like grumps from time to time but when you come to their door, they'll almost always make you welcome.

My assistant coaches have watched them. I'm watching tape right now. They're a good team. Very athletic. But that's what were focused on and that's what's important right now.

We have a ton of guys on this team that can score. I think we've proven that all year. But we just didn't get it done tonight. I was surprised.