Knicks Bulletin: ‘They was trying to kill me every day in there’

We’re so close to real basketball, folks!

One. More. Sleep.

New York is about to host the first game of the Knicks’ postseason with the Pistons visiting MSG for both teams’ series-opening tip-off.

Here’s what Coach Thibs, Coach JB, and a few players from each team said on Thursday.

Tom Thibodeau

On Towns and Robinson’s limited regular-season time together:

“It’s been limited. So it’s a small sample size. It’s been good because of the size.”

On Robinson’s rehab and return:

“The thing is: That wasn’t easy to be out the amount of time that he was out. I think he played in 17 games. So the way it unfolded, we had a heavy dose of back to backs when he came back, so that really limited the amount of time that he could play, too. I like where he is right now.”

On Precious Achiuwa’s role:

“There’s a compilation of things that go into it, but you have Precious, as well. Precious can give us minutes there.”

On facing Cade Cunningham:

“He’s had a terrific season. It’s not just us, he’s done it against everybody. We understand that. Every game that you have, a team is going to have certain strengths. You have to have the proper amount of respect. With great players you don’t guard them individually, you guard them collectively. So we have to understand what goes into that.”

On if OG Anunoby might guard Cunningham:

“Oh, he could!”

On offensive decision-making and Mikal Bridges’ shot diet:

“Just play to win. The game tells you what to do. If you’re open, shoot. If you’re guarded, make a play, and you have to do it together. That’s the most important thing. It’s not about how many points do I have. How many points does he get? That’s not how you win in this league. You have to play together.”

Mitchell Robinson

On his new rehab mindset:

“I kept trying to come back so fast, so fast, to get back to playing and stuff like that, being young and trying to just play. Now that I actually had to take the time out and make sure I’m 100 percent. It should be fine.”

On intense rehab sessions:

“They was trying to kill me every day in there [rehab]. They was killing me every day.”

On weight loss and conditioning:

“Yeah for sure. I just played a full quarter in one of the games. Only been back for a month and two weeks maybe. To go in and all the work that I put in to be able to do that, that just showed a lot. How much time I put the time into the conditioning and all that. After games, before games and all that.”

On expectations vs Pistons:

“It’s going to be a dirty series. We’re going to get out there and fight. That’s the biggest part about it. Physicality with Detroit and us. It’s something we just have to bring.”

On staying smart vs Stewart and avoiding falling for cheap fouls:

“Just be smart. That’s really all it is. Be physical, be smart and play basketball.”

On not knowing this version of the Pistons:

“It is weird because they don’t know me, I don’t know them. All I know is the film and the books that we get, stuff like that. Just going in there to fight and compete.”

On defending Cade Cunningham:

“Cade’s a great player. You’ve seen him throughout the year, the numbers he’s been putting up and stuff like that. Us having experience that we done played in a couple playoff games and stuff like that. We’re just going to continue to do what we do and keep on working hard.”

On preparing for the series:

“It can go both ways. At that point, just play, impose your will. I have to continue to work hard and prepare myself for this series.”

On his previous weight:

“That s–t was heavy as hell. I just played a full quarter in one of the games. Only been back for a month and two weeks maybe. To go in and all the work that I put in to be able to do that, that just showed a lot. How much time I put into the conditioning and all that. After games, before games and all that.”

Mikal Bridges

On his season with the Knicks:

“It was all right. I think I could have obviously been better, but it’s [all right], just getting ready for now and [continuing to] try to get better.”

On returning to the playoffs:

“Man, I’m really excited to go. A year off feels so long from not making the playoffs. I’m excited for the atmosphere as well. It’s gonna be a really good series.”

On defending Cade Cunningham:

“He’s really talented, man. He’s one of those guys that’s an All-Star this year, too. Cade had a lot on his plate and did a really good job . . . I think he had a good amount of assists last year, too, but I think his playmaking grew from last year to this year, even with his scoring. Just makes him tough to guard because he makes the right play a lot. So we’ve got to guard him as a team and do our best. He’s definitely a tough guard. He just knows how to play the game the right way. He’s always poised, never really rushed. That’s the big thing I’ve seen with him throughout the years; even playing him when he was young, he never really seems rushed no matter what’s thrown at him. Definitely a good player.”

On Cade’s overall growth:

“Throughout the whole year, just a really good player. [He’s] just got his own pace to him. He’s calm at all times… Making more reads. Getting other guys open… still getting other guys going knowing he has more opportunities. So I think that was the biggest thing I’ve seen from him.”

On his evolving role this season:

“Throughout the season just feel it out. A whole new group of guys and just try to find my role within and things like that within the offense.”

On playoff mentality:

“It all starts with just one game at a time. You can’t look ahead. I think the fans, you guys look ahead a lot. It takes one game at a time. That’s what it is, just one game and play our best basketball, our best version for 48 minutes, and go from there.”

On mid-range usage in playoffs:

“It’s tougher to get to the rim, it’s tougher to get 3s off, and it’s just like so much of the court left. It’s not just the rim and the 3. You pay guys a lot of money to protect the rim and stuff like that. So it’s like going into their habitat if you’re just willing to go in there while they’re waiting for you. … Being a three-level scorer — being able to get to the rim, being able to get to a midrange shot if everything is packed up and they guard it there, or they’re all in the paint, shooting the 3. So I think that is a big part, especially in the playoffs, too.”

J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)

On Detroit’s early win over the Knicks pumping his team up:

“We were able to come out with a win there. It just felt like our guys started to believe that they could compete with and beat some of the better teams in this league.”

On his team learning how to win:

“Once that kind of clicked, you can just feel the difference. That’s the most difficult part of the NBA: learning how to win and believing you can. Our guys found it this year.”

On Cade Cunningham’s mentality:

“He seems, from the time that I’ve been around him, built for the moment. That’s not to say there’s not possibly some ups and downs and those types of things, but he plays pretty consistent emotionally. … He’s got the demeanor, he’s got the poise and he’s got the skill set. He just has to get that experience.”

On team physicality and controlling emotions:

“It’s important for us to be physical but not emotional. We’re going to be physical. There’s going to be some dust-ups. There’s going to be some interactions. That’s just the way it is when we show up in the building, but we can’t allow the emotion to get the best of us.”

Malik Beasley (Detroit Pistons Player)

On facing Karl-Anthony Towns:

“I’m not worried about KAT. I don’t even think about him … He’s the least of my worries.”