Knicks Bulletin: ”We don’t duck any smoke. We just wanna play whoever.”

The Knicks enjoyed a bit of time off after clinching the No. 2 seed with their win against the Bulls on Sunday but they hit the court at Tarrytown on Wednesday while waiting to know their first-round opponent.

A bunch of players and coach Thibs spoke after practice still without knowing they will be meeting the reigning MVP and the Philadelphia 76ers starting Saturday.

Here is what a few Knickerbockers had to say yesterday.

Tom Thibodeau

On whether or not Isaiah Hartenstein with have a minutes restriction against Philadelphia...

“I don’t know.”

On building habits while creating winning teams...

“It’s just getting the most out of your team. Whatever that is. I think you only get satisfaction from knowing you did everything you possibly could to get the most out of your team. And once you do that, that’s all you can do. So where the chips fall, that’s where they fall. But I never have regrets because I know what I’m putting into it.”

On getting ready for the first round without knowing who the Knicks would face before Wednesday...

“But we started putting the framework in and [focusing on] what similarities they have. What are the things we have to take away, or what we should be aware of?”

On being prepared for both the Sixers and the Heat...

“The thing is: The work’s already done. So you’re just waiting to see, ‘OK it’s this team, or it’s that team.’ And you go from there.”

On his staff working hard and being ready for whoever and whatever comes next...

“The advanced people. The assistant coaches. Player development guys. They’ve been working on [the opponent playbooks] for a long time. So got it down pretty good. We know [what] format we like to use. Everyone puts a lot of time in. We have advanced guys who split it up.”

Donte DiVincenzo

On what defines the Sixers and the Heat...

“If you look at their teams — I’m not saying they’re the same — but they both have dynamic bigs. They have good guard and wing play. And they’re really good defensive teams, both of them.”

On what the Knicks will do as they head into the first round of the playoffs...

“You know the [potential opponents] pretty well, but this week and up until you know is: You’re kinda focused on your habits. You’re building your habits. You’re kinda getting as sharp as you possibly can, maintaining your conditioning. And once you know, then you kinda game plan from there.”

On his thoughts about being illegible for the MIP award...

“No, I had no clue. No, I didn’t know [about the rule]. I wasn’t even thinking about it, so I was told yesterday about everything. I think [ESPN reporter] Dave McMenamin or something like that or somebody went online and then JJ [Redick] got involved and all this stuff. And so, it started getting traction, but I had no idea.”

On his improvement as a player this season...

“A hundred percent, a hundred percent. You look at where I was at the beginning of the year and where you finish, even when Julius went out. I think that’s where I took the biggest leap is when Julius went out. So with all that being said, it doesn’t mean anything. Even if I was eligible and I get votes, it still doesn’t mean anything. Our focus is this matchup that we will find out tonight.”

On facing the Sixers (or the Heat before Wednesday’s play-in game)...

“It’s not a surprise that they’re [both] one win away from being out of the Play-In and stuff like that. So you have to acknowledge that. But we’re not stressed of: ‘We want this matchup; We want that matchup.’ No.”

”We don’t duck any smoke. We just wanna play whoever we play.”

Josh Hart

On not looking Tom Thibodeau’s way whenever he makes a mistake on the court...

“I don’t really look at him too much. I hear him. Damn sure hear him. Sometimes you can’t help but hear him. I let Thibs be Thibs. Thibs gonna yell no matter what. I’m kind of a guy where I don’t let it affect me. I’m gonna play my game how I play my game no matter what. I don’t look at him. I hear him.”

On Hartenstein’s decision-making near the rim heading into the first-round matchup...

“When you have bigger matchups, he’s locked in and prepared for that. That’s something that we need. He finishes possessions with rebounds and gets quick kick aheads that put us in transition. That’s something that we’re going to need if we play the Sixers with Joel [Embiid]. Obviously he’s going to play a big part defensively. Even Miami with Bam [Adebayo] defensively and protecting the rim. That’s something that he’s done great all year and we need him to continue to do it.”

On how the Knicks practice during the final days of the regular season and into the playoffs...

“Most of the time you just focus on yourselves. That’s something that we’re doing. We’re just focusing on ourselves. We figure out tonight who we’re playing and tomorrow kind of fully game plan for that. We looked at film from both teams and stuff like that, matchups and all that. I think we’ll be prepared either way, but it’s a waiting game.”

On the NBA rule that made Donte DiVincenzo illegible for the MIP award...

“Yeah, playing 81 games, obviously that’s a bummer. First year of the rule you knew there were going to be guys that got the short end of that stick. Now they kind of see it in action and hopefully this summer they can reconvene and kind of figure out ways to still have that rule, but to not punish guys for playing a smaller role or whatever earlier in the season and then picking that up.”

”It’s a bummer.”