Tom Thibodeau | New York Knicks Postgame Press Conference | March 12th, 2024

Tom Thibodeau | New York Knicks Postgame Press Conference | March 12th, 2024

What can we say about the way your team responded after yeah I thought we came out with the right mindset uh you know I thought our our uh intensity was right in the in the in the previous game on uh Sunday against them but we didn’t finish it and

Uh today we were a lot better to hold them to 79 points again even Maxi came back just what does that say about the defense then on top of you think about how played yeah I thought OG gave us you know a great LIF for the first time back

After a layoff the energy and just the the effort plays and uh the movement the shooting uh added a lot to the team and I thought Josh Hart was you know incredible just that his defense his rebounding his scoring his playmaking everything just all around play jayen

Was jayen you know Dante gave us good minutes and you know I thought precious was really good for us as well Isaiah was protecting the rim did a great job for us9 yeah he’s he’s upset about his usage I don’t know he’s you know sometimes he he’s going to give me grief

About something so goes in one ear out the other so but he he was terrific you know just uh you know he plays to win and that’s what I love about him and so he’s not a guy that plays for stats and even though the his stats were you know great

Unbelievable um just uh but he he plays to win and that’s that’s what makes him so valuable to us this happen without the added time he’s gotten through this nating um you know I think he like I said he’s he’s a fierce competitor and that’s I love that about him and uh like

I think sometimes you try to take you know the positives from your whatever the positives could be like and I think uh an expanded role for him expanded role for Dante uh for precious Isaiah and those guys have been have responded extremely well and I think that that’s

You know that that speaks to their development their commitment um but it’s prioritizing the team and you we knew that we had a deep team to start the season and one of the things we talked about right from the start was everyone’s willingness to sacrifice and put the team first so uh

You everyone wants to play not not everyone can play and then you have injuries and then the next thing you know you’re in there and now you your your job is to make sure you you’re you stay ready when you’re not in the rotation and then when you are or if you

Your role changes and now you’re playing an expanded role to be able to handle that and I think our guys have shown that all year and you think about your starting front line is out then you know Isaiah is the backup center and he he was out and now he’s on minutes

Restriction and uh you know jayen is has gone through some stuff so all those guys do stepping up and really playing well I think is huge for us well I think you know the shooting piece is huge uh so you know any anytime you put two on the ball that means on the

Backside someone’s open and so if you’re putting two on the ball and you’re getting a three on the backside or you maybe you’re getting an offensive rebound like we had several possessions where we had them in rotation and we made great effort whether it was Isaiah or it was Josh getting the offensive

Rebound and getting a second and third crack at it I think those extra possessions are huge for us teams points three time straight November 2000 was on the team at that point in time what does it take to get an effort like this out of these guys in free straight games obviously a

[Laughter] Brunson no I you know and the thing is it’s uh in 20 years ago that really was the style of play you know like and uh so to be able to do it in today’s game is you know it’s a credit to the team

And you have to be tied together and you have to be working together and and you have to be able to count on each other and I think that’s the way our team is playing and we had to use that most of the year when you’re down players like

You’re not replacing Julius you’re not replacing jayen uh and OG those guys but we can do it with our team we can do it with our team defense we can do it with our team rebounding we can do it with by taking care of the ball that puts you in

A position to Win Regardless who you have who you’re playing where where you’re playing so if we hang on to those three things some nights we don’t shoot it as well as others I think that holds true for every team in the league but you you’ll be in position to win if you

Do those those three things yeah I think it’s huge and you you could say the same thing about Josh and that that versatility to have those two guys and then uh Dante is a really good competitor as well um and know you know obviously the rim protection that

Isaiah’s given us but I think precious is blocking a lot of shots for us right now and I we know that what Mitch brings to the team and now uh the physicality that Julius brings to the team so we get we we like the the makeup of our team

And Deuce is another guy that he you know you’re not sacrificing you can play juce with Jaylen and and he can gu guard ones twos threes you can do a lot of switching with those guys did I start him at the four did I start him at the three I don’t

Know I don’t even know know you and that’s the and I say that tongue and Chic because like that that’s the beauty of Josh and ogi is that both can play that’s all they can play all three wing positions they can play two three and four and they’re

Interchangeable and sometimes you can go with the matchup like okay we can take advantage of this this way right and and I like that I like that versatility and we thought that was one of the big reasons why we wanted OG was what he would bring to the team and uh

So I think it’s it’s a huge huge Plus for us and I think uh and it’s hard to say what positions guy guys play today because it’s usually a point guard three Wings in a center and then you really go more by who they defend right and in

This case it’s those guys can defend in OG’s case one through five you can put OG on the center I know it’s only one player think he’s a good player but is it as simple sometimes one piece back to a team everything else makes sense again

Well yeah and I said like we the thing that they probably hurt us obviously losing Mitch was huge because of what he was doing at the beginning then to lose three guys but we were hanging in there because of the way Isaiah was playing losing him was now that that was a big

Hit that was a big hit and then jayen we lost him and then he’s on minutes restriction so like you got to manage all that and but and that’s what I love about our team like our team is like whatever we have to do we’ll find we’ll

Figure it out you know and so um you navigate all those things and you try to get better each day and you’re counting on the people who maybe weren’t in the rotation initially now they’re they’re in there and they’re playing and and you need them today what the

Difference uh just probably a little more awareness a lot stronger with the ball we knew they were aggressive and coming after the ball uh they were number one in Steels so that’s the the way they they play and they’re very aggressive and good at it and the turnovers were were probably obviously

We had 21 I think uh for 17 points uh but the thing that we did do we also caused them we we forced 15 but we had 19 points off those turnovers so as long like we wanted to be a plus and for us when we’re active and we can get into

The Open Floor those easy baskets are huge for us but I thought guys were a lot stronger with the ball right they were owning their space a lot better and when you do that your turnovers will go down and then maybe a little less one-on-one and more movement and cutting

You know I thought was important for us y thanks

Coach Thibodeau addresses the media after Knicks’ win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

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