Knicks Bulletin: ‘I’m a servant to these guys. I want to make sure they’re good’

Pundits across the nation surely are happy New York didn’t prove them wrong, aren’t they?

The Knicks were so close to becoming a title contender in the eyes of the whole nation, but ultimately failed to capitalize on an eight-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost 117-107 to the seemingly unbeatable OKC Thunder.

New York built hella big leads, was mad close to pulling off the upset, but fell short. In a few hours, they get to do it all over again with another matchup scheduled for Saturday night.

Here’s what Coach Thibs, a few Knickerbockers, and a few Bolts said before and after the game.

Tom Thibodeau

On losing to the Thunder in a tightly contested game on Friday.

“Two or three scramble plays, where they got to the loose ball and then converted into threes.

“So the last part of the defense has to be the strongest, and that was probably the biggest thing. It was a hard-fought game.”

On the bench’s limited impact against the Thunder.

“We had an eight-point lead going into the fourth, and the intensity of the fourth quarter is different. So we got to be ready for that, and we fell short tonight.

“Our bench is more than capable, our starters are more than capable. So, we win together, we lose together and then we just gotta refocus and fix what we need to fix and be ready to go to tomorrow night.”

On dealing with loose-ball situations in critical moments.

“Sometimes it doesn’t [go your way], you gotta make it go your way. You gotta find a way to go get [the loose balls].”

On preparing for games without looking too far ahead.

“Yeah, we don’t look at it that way. I know you guys think it’s cliché, but I think in this league, when you start looking ahead you look behind and you get lost as to where you are.

“It’s easy to get sidetracked like that. That’s why we go into the year with the thought in mind about daily improvement and never get away from it. So we hammer that every day. Each game is different, each day is different.

“So stay focused and understand what goes into winning. Make sure you have your routine down. Don’t let anyone get you off course.”

On the Knicks’ current standing and areas for improvement.

“Right now, our record says where we are. But we also understand that there’s a lot of areas where we have to get better. So don’t get lost in that.

“The most important thing is finding different ways to win. Be strong on both sides of the ball. Play as a team, be a team. Be a team that’s ready every night. Be a mentally tough team.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On playing 42 minutes against the Thunder.

“I’d lie if I said I wasn’t exhausted. I think the film shows it. But I was willing to do whatever it takes to get the win.

“I just wanted to put myself in a position to help my teammates win and continue winning.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the job done tonight. It hurts, it stings.”

On the Thunder and their ridiculous performance this season (before the game).

“I mean, they’re really good, and they’re better than they’ve ever been. So, we got to be at our best to go out there and compete at a high level.

“We’ve been fortunate to find ourselves winning in the games where we learned a lot about ourselves, and have to take those teachings and those experiences with us to OKC and utilize them to come out with a win.”

On the Thunder as a matchup and their strengths (before the game).

“They’re the No. 1 defense and they’ve been playing really good all year. Just past the defense aspect, they’ve been playing really good basketball. And we’ve been playing great basketball. So it’s a good time for both of us to meet up with each other and get to test our skills.”

On the Knicks’ grit and ability to win tough games.

“I mean, just that we’re gritty. I think that we do a great job of finding ways to win, even when we’re not at our best, and obviously, we’re trying, we’re adjusting, we’re getting even more and more acclimated with each other, but you hope to learn those lessons through wins than in defeats.

“And we’re doing a great job of learning as we go and getting more unified with each other, but in that learning experience, we’re finding different ways to win, which is great.”

On Josh Hart’s All-Star candidacy.

“Yes, he needs to be in the All-Star Game. I need his weekend ruined. Absolutely.

“When he’s playing on Sunday, I don’t want to hear [anything]. I mean, All-Star Game, if I remember correctly, is for people who perform the best at that point in the season. That’s pretty much the definition.”

On his belief in the Knicks’ All-Star potential.

“I like to see wins, but I would like to see all five of us be All-Stars. I think we’ve got five All-Stars on this team. It would be cool.”

On managing his finger injury after showing up with it wrapped up.

“It’s a finger, it’s fine. It’ll be fine.

“I use both hands.”

Josh Hart

On the Knicks’ execution issues in the fourth quarter against OKC.

“No positives. Just got to be better. We’ve got to execute a little better, especially in that fourth quarter. We know it. We’ve got to find it. You can’t rely on anything else.

“We’ve got to make sure we go out there and execute and play our game.”

On his All-Star chances and his role on the team.

“I can get an All-Star? Hell no. I feel like they appreciate what I do, but like I said, my game is not glitz and glamour that breeds that kind of accolade. And I’m fine with that.

“I’m a servant to these guys. I want to make sure they’re good. I want them to get the accolades.”

On performing under fourth-quarter pressure.

“At the end of the day, the fourth quarter is the time for you to go out there and win the game. At that point, it’s just competitiveness and adrenaline pushing you through. I’ve always said that I want to be out there as much as I can. So at that point, we just have to make sure we execute.”

On Hartenstein’s new chapter in Oklahoma City after leaving New York.

“I’m happy for him, first and foremost. Being able to get—someone who is, at the end of the day, he was always in the league but never in a predominant role. It was a one-year deal, a two-year deal, those kind of things. So him being able to get his money, that’s what you want for every teammate, that they’re good, the family is good.

“Got love for him, obviously. We wish we were able to keep him. I’m not sure who did the CBA where we could only offer him $72 million. But it was crazy because that was obviously the first domino that we couldn’t keep him, and he was gone. And then obviously Mitch being out kind of sparked having to get a center. And it definitely was a hectic summer.

“We definitely didn’t know what was going to happen. But now we got a good team. We’re comfortable with the team we have. And we can go out there and compete. But that was definitely the first domino that fell.”

Jalen Brunson

On the Knicks’ failure to execute in the fourth quarter against the Thunder.

“They just picked up their energy, made some shots, made some hustle plays. We turned the ball over, and they got momentum in the fourth. It was a dogfight from there. They are who they are for a reason. We respect them. We’ve just got to be better in the fourth.”

On his poor performance in crunch time, committing a couple of turnovers.

“Just uncharacteristic. It’s not what I do in those situations.”

Mikal Bridges

On defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Thunder game.

“Whoever we’re playing, whoever I’m guarding, I just watch their film.

“I think Shai, guys like that, who I’ve played against multiple times in the West, going against multiple times, have more reps guarding him. Shai is really good.”

Deuce McBride

On his current hamstring strain.

“Just seeing how it feels. It’s tough with hamstrings. Those type of injuries, you don’t want to rush it. But I’m progressing.

“Right now it’s just been taking it slow, just doing a little bit more of manual work and just really trying to give it a little bit more time.”

On suffering the injury during warmups while being about to start ahead of injured Jalen Brunson.

“I just going and I just felt [my hamstring] grab. And I went to the back, tried to figure out what happened. It just hurt.

“It’s super, super frustrating. Nobody ever wants to be hurt and especially on a night you get a chance to start.

“Super frustrating, but it’s a part of it. Just got to bounce back.”

Mark Daigneault (OKC Thunder Head Coach)

On Thibodeau’s coaching philosophy and super-short rotation.

“We’re all running our own race. Great respect for Thibs. Everybody’s different, not right or wrong. We got head down our race—everybody else doing the same.”

Isaiah Hartenstein (OKC Thunder Player)

On his trade from the Knicks and adjusting to OKC.

“It was smart. I think for both parties it was perfect. I’m in a situation here where it’s going really good. They got a great center, one of the best centers in the league. So I think for both parties it was perfect.

“Knowing Leon [Rose] he’ll always find something. He’s been doing a great job, so he made the right adjustment.”

On facing his former teammates in the Knicks.

“To compete against those guys is great. They’re all great competitors. Me and Josh joke around, but both of us are top-notch competitors.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC Thunder Player)

On the Knicks and their strong play.

“Very high-level team. Nine in a row. Offseason additions. They’re where they are in the league for a reason.

“They had the better of us most of the night, but we stuck with it. Really showed who we were.

“Really good game, really good test for us, and we passed the test.”