"I think we're a deeper team, a better team, we still have work to do... nothing is guaranteed, but hopefully we got the mentality to play on the road, and we're starting to get our home thing back in order now-if we can do that we'll be just fine"
About this Quote
The real tell is where he puts the pressure: not on talent, but on “mentality,” especially “on the road.” That’s athlete code for maturity under hostile conditions: bad whistles, ugly shooting nights, momentum swings, fatigue. He’s naming the part of playoff basketball that doesn’t show up in box scores, the stretch where teams either get organized or get petty. Malone is selling resilience as a skill, not a vibe.
Then comes the quietly revealing phrase: “starting to get our home thing back in order.” Home-court advantage is supposed to be automatic; if you have to describe it as a “thing,” it’s been slipping. The subtext is a team that’s been inconsistent, maybe too comfortable, maybe rattled by expectations, and he’s reframing that instability as a fixable habit.
“Nothing is guaranteed” is both truth and armor. It lowers the temperature around championship talk while still promising control: if they travel well and protect home, “we’ll be just fine.” It’s leadership by calibration - confident enough to reassure, cautious enough to keep everyone hungry.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teamwork |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Malone, Karl. (2026, January 17). I think we're a deeper team, a better team, we still have work to do... nothing is guaranteed, but hopefully we got the mentality to play on the road, and we're starting to get our home thing back in order now-if we can do that we'll be just fine. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-were-a-deeper-team-a-better-team-we-still-80860/
Chicago Style
Malone, Karl. "I think we're a deeper team, a better team, we still have work to do... nothing is guaranteed, but hopefully we got the mentality to play on the road, and we're starting to get our home thing back in order now-if we can do that we'll be just fine." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-were-a-deeper-team-a-better-team-we-still-80860/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I think we're a deeper team, a better team, we still have work to do... nothing is guaranteed, but hopefully we got the mentality to play on the road, and we're starting to get our home thing back in order now-if we can do that we'll be just fine." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-were-a-deeper-team-a-better-team-we-still-80860/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.






