Knicks Bulletin: Thibs’ 500th win, struggles in Memphis, high D-standards...

The Knicks completed their little two-game trip on Saturday facing and defeating a shorthanded Grizzlies JV squad at Memphis, 106-94, after falling to the Mavs a couple of days earlier.

It shouldn’t have been as hard a game to win as it ultimately was, but your boys emerged victorious from the war and will return to the Garden for an MLK Day afternoon game hosting the Orlando Magic.

Here is what we heard from the protagonist and other personalities in the past few hours.

Tom Thibodeau

On his 500th win in the NBA...

”I’ve been fortunate to have great players, assistants, organizations. You’re just part of it. I’m proud—but it’s all the people you’re doing it with. I’m fortunate right now with the group we have—incredible group of not only players but who they are as people.”

On the slow start to the game and trailing after the first half...

“Our defensive transitions to start the game were poor. We turned the ball over and put them on the open floor.”

”They got confidence early, and once a team gets going like that, it’s tough to get it turned around. First-quarter readiness is huge in this league.”

On improvements as the game progressed and not taking care of the ball...

“I thought the defense picked up in the second half. But our turnovers were problematic. Then we settled down and got better shots.”

On underestimating shorthanded opponents in the NBA...

“I think you look at it every night and you see teams that are shorthanded that win. I always say it to our team: You can’t make it to the NBA without being a great player, so everyone on the roster, 1 through 15, is great.”

“[If] you don’t come with the right approach, anyone can beat you on a given night.”

“The way [the Grizzlies] are shooting volume 3s, that’s a big thing, reaction to the ball, the rebounding, and the young guys they have are very talented. We have to understand that.”

On Jalen Brunson missing the game in Memphis and his outlook for Monday’s matchup...

“It’s day to day. He felt better today. Tomorrow is another day of treatments and stuff. We’ll see if he can go on Monday.”

Isaiah Hartenstein

On struggling more than they should against the shorthanded Grizzlies...

“It wasn’t a great game for us in general. The second half was better, but we need to play better. I actually feel like the first half was embarrassing.”

Julius Randle

On his performance against Memphis...

“I was awful. I was terrible. I’m not going to lie, I was terrible.”

On coming up with solutions to eventually overtake Memphis on the scoreboard...

“It was just a sluggish game. It was all around sloppy, but we found a way to get the win, and that’s what matters.

On missing the leader of the Knicks in point guard Jalen Brunson at Memphis...

“It’s always an adjustment when there are different combinations in the game, especially someone as critical to the Knicks offense as Brunson.”

On head coach Tom Thibodeau’s winning his 500th NBA game...

“Just happy for him. Appreciative that we could be a part of it. 500 wins is a great accomplishment. A lot of work, a lot of time spent, a lot of hours in this league. Congrats to Coach.”

On changing his mental approach to the game and not getting frustrated...

“Hell yeah. Absolutely. It’s more about me personally than it is about anything else. Letting me know that as a human being I’m growing and learning how to deal with frustration better.”

On his 2021-22 season, one than saw him fined for $63k and ejected twice...

“That was a hard year all the way around. So I think a lot changed for me from that year to the next year, and the tech thing is something I’ve always tried to work on.”

”It’s tough for me because I play so physical. And sometimes my strength is a disadvantage, you know what I mean? So it’s tough but just learning how to play through that, learning how to communicate a little bit better with the officials.”

“It sounds like a simple fix but also difficult to follow in the ‘heat of the moment.’ I have to tell myself, ‘Julius, calm the f–k down, move on.’ Subconsciously, you have to move on. Let go. So as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how to move on a little bit more and let go.”

On dealing with refs and showing them more respect to his own benefit...

“I’ve kind of learned how to toe the line while being respectful. And I feel like I’m averaging more free throws than I ever have, so maybe it’s working out.”

“I think it’s more just treating them like humans, understanding they make mistakes, we make mistakes. And being able to have a conversation with them rather than screaming or acting out or whatever is because you’re frustrated. Or acting like a kid.”

OG Anunoby

On defending the best shot-maker on the opposing lineup, including Kyrie Irving last Thursday...

“Just trying to make [Irving] take the most difficult shots possible. And he makes those shots all the time. So not getting discouraged. Work hard, make him work. I thought I was right there and he was making great shots.”

Miles McBride

On his approach to defending players...

“The name of the game is to put the ball in the hoop and my job as a defender is to stop that. If he did his job I didn’t do mine.”

“I like it kind of as an edge thing — if you think you’ve got to live with those shots then you’re kind of losing that edge of always being, ‘I want to get this stop.’ It’s treating every play like the last play of the game, because you never know what it comes down to.”

“I think I’m frustrated regardless, anytime anybody scores off of me. Even if I think I did the right thing, made the right read, I’m still frustrated because if you scored it probably wasn’t the right thing at the end of the day.”

Donte DiVincenzo

On defending Kyrie Irving but still watching him drop 44 points on the Knicks...

“In the moment, it’s frustrating. You stay down on the shot fake. [The] one he had in the post, I cut him off, spun back, stayed there and stayed down. And he fades away and hits a tough one in my face, You can’t do anything better. There were a couple where OG cuts off baseline. [Irving] pulls it back, OG’s right in his face and he hits a fadeaway three in the corner. So those are the ones I think that when you watch the film you feel better at after the fact.”

“There’s like 10, 15 dudes in the league that are just pure scorers, no matter what you do, who you put on them, they’re just pure scorers. Those are the ones you tip your cap to and try to make it difficult. The other ones, the open looks, those are hard.”

Kyrie Irving

On Jalen Brunson sharing the room with his pops in New York (Rick Brunson is Thibs’ ass coach)...

“Nothing short of proud of him. Man, what a beautiful situation that him and his dad have in New York City. As a peer of his, as a brother of his, I definitely look at that and say, ‘Man, I wish my dad was on the bench coaching me and I could look down at him — ‘What do you think about that play?’ It’s healthy, It’s a legacy league and to see them working together, to see Jalen take that torch that his father left for him as he’s teaching him the game of basketball.”

On Brunson’s career to date and his ever-growing stock since joining the Knicks...

“Jalen’s gone on to have an incredible college career. I’ve been watching for a long time. He’s a winner. He’s incredibly resilient and he does the little things for his team to win. It’s good to see him getting his respect amongst the peers and the media, too. Just want him to continue to do his thing and stay healthy.”