Wednesday was a day off for New York Knicks following their inexplicable defeat against the Atlanta Falcons Tuesday, unless you take into account that the hosts were missing four entriesthat’s to say.
The Knicks and head coach Tom Thibodeau will benefit from the downtime between their game against Atlanta and hosting the Orlando Magic on Friday, given the many damaged bodies they are carrying around these days.
Not a lot of content to report today, but we still found a few nuggets of gold shared by so-and-so Knick after the game against the Hawks earlier this week.
Tom Thibodeau
On the possible return of injured players…
“You don’t want to see any of your players get injured. Obviously you want to be complete. But injuries are part of the game.”
“It’s ‘How quickly can we adapt as a team?’ » This is the challenge we face. I know the commitment our guys made, the sacrifices they made.
Miles McBride
After playing 93 minutes in the last two games starting one and logging 47 minutes in the other…
“I’m happy that the coach trusts me to play these minutes. I just wish we had done the work.
Playing over 40 minutes per game these days, averaging 15 MPG in the regular season…
“Honestly, I feel good. I think I’m more angry about losing than worrying about how my body feels. I do not even think about it. That’s what I wanted, to keep the best player and play a point guard at a high level. This is what I’ve wanted my whole life. So I did everything I could to prepare for it.
On how he plans to take over the starting point guard duties and his extraordinary AST:TO ratio (23:1 in the last four games)…
“I just try to read the game, watch film, see what the other team is doing and then apply it to the game we’re playing.”
“I think as a point guard, if you have that mindset (trying to avoid TOs), then you’re not going to make certain types of passes. So you have to play with confidence and just watch the game.
About the loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday when the Knicks shot 16 of 52 from 3-point range…
“We have to make adjustments to our shots. It’s up to you to say if we’re tired. We will never say that we are tired. I think we just have to keep thinking that we’re taking the right shots and they’re going to fall.
“We are doing everything we can. We are doing everything we can in recovery; guys playing big minutes and working on chemistry [with] guys coming in and out… It’s hard, but you have to keep moving forward. I mean, for us, it’s our job.
On tracking the Eastern Conference standings…
“Honestly, no (I don’t follow them closely). It’s hard to keep up. I just have to take it one game at a time.
Josh Hart
After having a tough outing against the Hawks in Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta…
“I didn’t really feel like I was really there – I didn’t really show up until the second half. In the first half I didn’t have that energy and I wasn’t flying. At the start of the match, I gave myself the responsibility of being the energy guy and I didn’t come out with any energy.
After only resting nine minutes in the last three games…
“It’s an interesting stat, but you know, I have to make sure I bring it to every game and every possession that I have.”
Trying to stay above the no. 6 seed and avoid play-in while waiting for reinforcements…
“At the end of the day, I think if this team gets back together, we can make some noise. Obviously you don’t want to participate in the play-in. You would like to have three or five days of rest before the first round.
“It’s a Thibs cliché, but we’re just trying to take it one day at a time. We’ll get the guys back soon, but we have to keep pushing. At the end of the day, we are where we are and I love this team.
To stay informed about what’s happening around the Eastern Conference and check the standings…
“Sometimes when [the standings] appears (I check them) – I don’t think about it too much.
