There are a large contingency of fans who are concerned with the amount of minutes that the New York Knicks starters have been receiving. They believe head coach Tom Thibodeau has a history of doing so, and that it will eventually lead to his main players being worn out, or injured, come playoff time. While the fans have called out Thibodeau for believing that he is overusing his main pieces, there hasn’t been any murmur of complaining from those Knicks players. After their win on Saturday, Josh Hart mentioned the ‘minutes police’ in his postgame interview.
Josh Hart Calls Out ‘Minutes Police’ After Knicks Win
Josh Hart Mentions The ‘Minutes Police’ In Postgame Interview
On Saturday, the Knicks had an offensive explosion in their 143-120 win at home over the Sacramento Kings. The victory improved their record to 30-16 on the year, good for third-best in the Eastern Conference. New York shot 17-36 (47.2%) from beyond the arc and 22-23 (95.7%) from the free-throw line while scoring at least 32 points in every quarter. Their starting five combined to total 123 points.
The Knicks had three days off prior to that game. Their previous outing was on Tuesday in a road win over the Brooklyn Nets. Saturday saw Hart secure his sixth triple-double of the season finishing with 20 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists. Speaking with Alan Hahn of MSG Network after the game, Hart gave a message to those that have been constantly fretting over the amount of minutes played by the starters. He said,
“Thibs gave us a couple of days off…you know so we had energy, the minutes police can relax for a little bit.”
Josh Hart calls out the minutes police in his postgame interview with Alan Hahn!
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Now Hart and Jalen Brunson often fool around with the other if they are being interviewed after the game. This is why Hart is circling around because he’s expecting Brunson to do something. When he was able to get his thoughts together without being interrupted, Hart called out the hordes of people on social media talking about minutes played.
Knicks Have Four In Top 5 Of Minutes Played
When you look at the top of the NBA leaderboard for minutes played, it is littered with New York players. The top five are as follows:
- Mikal Bridges (Knicks) – 1,771
- Josh Hart (Knicks) – 1,703
- OG Anunoby (Knicks) – 1,688
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) – 1,650
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks) – 1,591
Now this can be looked at in two different lights. Yes, those Knicks players are certainly playing a lot of minutes. It also shows though they have remained healthy and mostly in the lineup. Both Bridges and Anunoby haven’t missed a game (Bridges hasn’t missed any in his seven-year career). Brunson and Hart have just missed one apiece.
There are teams in the NBA that have been injury-ravaged all season long. The ‘minutes police’ that Hart spoke of say how Knicks players are bound to get hurt due to overuse. While there’s plenty of season remaining, that hasn’t been the case thus far.
While the ‘minutes police’ may have quieted a bit after Saturday’s blowout win, fans of all teams can be fickle at times. Expect their sirens to be going off again after Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies if the Knicks fail to come out on top, and there are starters playing 40+ minutes.
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