Knicks Bulletin: 'At the end of the day, it's just basketball'
The Knicks enjoyed a Sunday off, and they’ll get back to the lab on Monday, preparing to face the remmants of the once-a-legitimate-NBA-franchise Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Tomorrow will mark the first time since Feb. 20 the Knicks have played back-to-back home games inside MSG. Believe that.
Here’s what we missed from Coach Thibs and a few Knickerbockers following the get-right win against the Wiz Kids.
“He did a really good job. When someone gets hot like that, usually there will be an adjustment to put two on them, and then we’ve gotta adjust and play off of that as well.
“So it was good for him to get going.”
“It was good to see. He’s done a good job for us.”
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 24, 2025Cam Payne on Tyler Kolek: "Big time, big time man. Shoutout to Ty…he was ready…I know he gonna stay ready"
On Kolek's 5 assists to Mikal Bridges: "Man I need some of them assists, he ain't wanna make none I was giving him the ball na…Shoutout to Ty…finding Kale constantly" pic.twitter.com/GmekZzhhNQ
“I didn’t even know it was a four-point game. I just honestly just came back out there and play solid basketball, not looking at the score.
“I’d probably just say that’s the NBA for you. They were on a back-to-back. Took ’em a while to get going. The young guys started playing well. We’ve just gotta make sure we play 48 minutes. But that’s just the NBA for you.
“You can get beat any day.”
“It feels good, especially after hitting the side of the backboard twice in a row. But it felt good. It was cool to see it go through.
“Glad I found a way to help us to get the lead back up.”
“Honestly man just staying in the gym, make sure I keep getting my reps. For me, when I get out there I play super hard, so I always get tired so I play so fast. I be building my own conditioning during the games.
“Man, 29 [minutes]. I told ‘Kal I ain’t gonna be able to get my [postgame] lift in today. I played 29!”
“Can I talk bad about him [Mikal]? Man, I needed some of them assists and he ain’t make none when I was giving him the ball.
“Nah, i’m glad he got going. We’re always tryna look for him and try to get him going. I’m proud of him, glad he got going from the three. He pushed our lead up.
“Once he made one, he made another one. It was big-time for us.”
“He was ready for his opportunity. That’s what it’s about in his league.”
KAT: "We've all seen those moments Mikal shows why he's so coveted in this league…He can score…but he does so much for our team, sacrifices so we can be the best version of ourselves…Does a lot of things don't show up on stat sheet, & ones that do he doesn't get enough credit" pic.twitter.com/3Wb5liNpdA
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 24, 2025
“Any time you get a win [you’re happy], but there’s a lot of things where I look at this game and look at the tape that I’m not gonna be happy about.
“I’m not gonna be happy about the first half not translating to the second half, and for us to be the team we want to be and the goals and aspirations that we have, we’ve gotta be a team that plays 48 minutes.
“We can’t afford to have those moments where we have those lulls and good teams, they take advantage of that and keep the momentum rolling.”
“We’ve got to get better now. I told all y’all before, we need to continue to improve every single day so when he comes back, we reintegrate him into the team and we’re a better version than the one he got injured playing with, that he left.”
“(I’ve learned) a lot. Coach always says, ‘Learning the NBA game, it’s really different from college.’
“Offensively, defensively. The schemes that go into it – the game plans that go into it. So just trying to learn from these guys and be able to take that and learn from it.
“The space on the floor (is different). The speed of the game. College, I feel like there’s a lot less spacing in the land obviously.
“But at the end of the day, it’s just basketball.”
“I think both sides (of the ball) are equal. I feel like every part of my game still needs to keep improving.
“Defensive stuff is more just kind using your angles, using your IQ on the defensive end to cover up whatever you may lack.”