Knicks Bulletin: “If Jalen had passed the ball I probably could have had 15.”

The Knicks hosted the hapless Pistons on Monday to kick the week off and they also kicked their opponents’ butts beating them 124-99 and sweeping Detroit in their head-to-head series wrapping up a smooth 3-0 perfect matchup record.

The boys were extraordinary and although none of the three injured starters still trying to make their comebacks were available on Monday, DiVincenzo made more than up for those absences by dropping 40 pops on the Pistons' forehead while hitting a franchise-record 11 treys on the evening.

Here is what the protagonist of the affair had to say after the game.

Tom Thibodeau

On Donte DiVincenzo’s 40-point outing...

“Impressive, and he’s been doing it all year. I thought his teammates helped create good shots for him, he knocked them down and played hard the whole game.”

On how he will change the rotation once Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby return...

“You’re always going to prioritize the team. So whatever contributions they can make to help the team, that’s where we’ll go.”

Donte DiVincenzo

On breaking the Knicks' single-game 3-point record bagging 11 treys...

“Yes, it’s an amazing feeling having the crowd behind you, but also like every time you touch the ball, they’re like, ‘Shoot! Shoot!’”

“Jalen was like, ‘Bro, slow down.’ I was like, ‘The crowd is speeding me up.’”

On making his 11th triple of the night and creating a new franchise record...

“As soon as I touched the ball, I could hear the crowd. There was so much emotion. My teammates just kept getting me shots and telling me to slow down, take my time, and shoot the ball.”

On what would it mean to beat Evan Fournier’s season-long 3-point record...

“To look around the league and see there’s other franchises where their record is in the 180s and 190s, you have to really give credit to what Evan did. It’s really hard to do 240 threes in a season. There are other franchises that aren’t near that. So I think that adds to it. One, you have to tip your cap to [Fournier], and it also adds some extra motivation ’cause it’s hard.”

On how he’s approached the possibility of overtaking Fournier for the most 3-point shots made in a single season with the Knicks...

“If I get it, I’ll be over the moon. If I don’t, it is what it is and there’s always next year. I think the beautiful thing is within this offense and within this organization, it’s obtainable for anyone on our team.”

“At the end of the day, I never want me chasing something to sacrifice winning a game.”

On Tom Thibodeau helping him improve his game throughout the season...

“It’s amazing because you can see the trust throughout the year from Thibs that he has in me and in the other guys.”

“Throughout the year, even when everyone was fully healthy, there was just a trust. And as guys went out, that trust gains and gains and that confidence gets higher. That’s the beautiful thing about playing for Thibs.”

On Jalen Brunson stopping him from getting and even larger 3-point record...

“If Jalen [Brunson] has passed the ball a little more I probably could have had 15 of them tonight. Nah, everybody was unselfish, everybody was playing for one another and it was a fun game to be a part of.”

Josh Hart

On Monty Williams' post-game comments...

“If he didn’t wanna be part of the story, he should’ve told his guys to defend better. I don’t know what else to say. We got a guy that’s hot, we’re gonna try to find the guy that’s hot. That’s common sense basketball.”

On training with JJ Redick next offseason to improve his 3-point shooting...

“Obviously me and JJ are close. We talk all the time. At some point in the summer, I’ll pull up to the Hamptons. Shoot, get in the gym with him, drink wine with him—he can bring all the wine, because he’s rich—and just enjoy.”

Monty Williams (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)

On how to whine like a champ...

“I don’t care about their team at all. I couldn’t care less. Those guys, the way they got those threes. I don’t want to be a part of that story.”

JJ Redick (Former NBA Player)

On helping Josh Hart improve his long-range shooting...

“We’re gonna work on the shot this summer. We’ve already committed to each other.”

On Hart’s overall skill set hand how he does a little bit of everything...

“Josh Hart, at this size—and he’s an athlete, but not an uber-athlete, and he’s strong and he’s quick, but not uber-strong or uber-quick—but he rebounds outside of his area as well as any guard I’ve seen.”

“He pursues the basketball, he gets rebounds in traffic, long rebounds. He ends up with basketballs that he has no business ending up with.”

On the Knicks' outlook this season and how they got to being considered a contender...

“I think what’s important here is the Knicks have taken on this identity. They have embraced this gritty culture—and of course, it starts with Thibs and JB [Jalen Brunson]—but they have a group now with a real identity. And I don’t think there’s anybody on this team that has embodied it more than Josh Hart.”