Knicks Bulletin: “He’s getting fouled, he’s getting fouled, he’s gett—.”

The Knicks lost a battle on Tuesday but they had already won the season-long war against the Miami Heat by clinching the tie-breaker last February. Following yesterday’s loss, the scorecard reads 2-1 Knicks. Take that for culture.

Anyway, that doesn’t take from New York losing yet another game, the third in a row, in a rather concerning way. The boys look tired, running out gas, and in need for the playoffs to arrive asap if they don’t want to keep dropping seeds down the line.

Here is what the protagonists of the game said after this sad affair.

Tom Thibodeau

On Jalen Brunson’s performance against the Heat...

“You’re not going to play great in every game. No player in this league does. And so the challenge is to still find ways to win. It’s pretty good when you have 20 points with 10 assists.”

”It wasn’t an A-plus from him. But he’s still going to compete on every possession. And that’s all you can ask of anybody.”

On why Brunson struggled...

“He’s getting fouled, he’s getting fouled, he’s getting fouled, he’s getting fouled, he’s getting fouled, he’s getting fouled.”

On Julius Randle’s rehab progress...

“The thing for [Randle] is that he’s got to keep working every day until he gets to the point where he feels confident that he can take the contact that he’s accustomed to. When you look at his game and the way he plays, you don’t want him to change his style of play. And I think that’s important.”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. You have to have a belief that it will turn. Which I do. Maybe it’s tomorrow. Maybe it’s the day after. Who knows when it is? But just keep putting what you have into each day. So work out. Do your rehab. Try to strengthen your shoulder as much as you can and go from there.”

On having to navigate the regular season with a few players injured and accepting it...

“I think you just have to deal with reality. We’ve been dealing with this all year. Our reality is we have to go with the guys that are available. And if we get ‘em back, then it’s a bonus.”

Josh Hart

On the Heat beating New York on Tuesday...

“You’ve got to give them credit. They opened the door, let us back in, and then they did what good teams do and finished up strong.”

On Jimmy Butler’s disappointing season to date...

“Jimmy kind of does side quests during the year until about April. Then he starts locking in. I’m sure people are going to see that maniac competitive side now that he’s done with the side quests and he’s on to the main quest.”

Jalen Brunson

On his performance against Miami and finishing with a 20-10 but five turnovers...

“Everyone did their job except me. F–-k. Just carelessness.”

On his status entering Tuesday’s game...

“I don’t feel the best, but I’m fine.”

Donte DiVincenzo

On what went wrong for the Knicks on Tuesday...

”It was really the start of the game. I think they were more ready than us. They stepped on our throats early on.”

“They came out with more urgency, more will from the beginning. Second half, we got our heads out of our asses and started playing. But I think at the end, you have to give them credit. They executed.”

Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat Head Coach)

On Jalen Brunson’s true breakout campaign...

“He’s having an MVP-type season. He’s at that level right now where you’re not taking things away from him.”