Knicks Bulletin: “I like their style. I like their faceoffs.”

The Knicks keep getting ready for the start of their series against the Sixers tipping off on Saturday evening.

Thursday was the first day for the Knicks practicing and learning plays finally knowing their first-round opponent after Philly beat Miami on Wednesday.

Here’s everything Tom Thibodeau and some other Knicks have said in the past few hours.

Tom Thibodeau

On Jalen Brunson’s skill set...

“His impact on everything we do is everywhere.”

On New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette leading the NYR to the best record in the NHL...

“I think he’s done a great job everywhere he’s been. I love what the Rangers have done. They’ve had an incredible year. I just love it. It’s great for the city and obviously the Garden, all the New York area fans. They’ve played great hockey all year long.”

On whether or not he’s offered Laviolette any power-play advice...

“Nah, but I like their style. I like their faceoffs.”

On the Sixers having many more weapons than just Joel Embiid...

“Embiid, obviously, is a lot to deal with. But there’s [Tyrese] Maxey, and they have a number of guys. [Tobias] Harris. [Kyle] Lowry has played well for them. [Nic] Batum, obviously, has been around a long time. A lot of big shots. [Buddy] Hield, great shooter, scorer. So, we know we gotta be ready. Just lock in. Best time of the year. Just get ready.”

On Joel Embiid’s game and how to stop it...

“Obviously, you’re averaging 34 or 35 points a game, you’re an elite scorer. And he does it a lot of different ways. He can shoot the ball. He can put it on the floor. He can post up. He can offensive rebound. And so, we have to guard him with our team. We gotta try to make him work for his points. He’s gotta see people, and then we’ll go from there.”

On expecting the best, rested version of Embiid...

“Yeah, it’s the playoffs, so you’re not dealing with the back-to-backs and that sort of thing. So we’re anticipating him to be who he is.”

Donte DiVincenzo

On Tom Thibodeau’s 5-inch-thick playbook...

“Initially [when I got it] I was like, ‘What the hell?’ Because it was the first time in my career I’ve gotten something like that. And then, the way my brain works is like, ‘Why is he doing this?’ And then the thing I learned about him is everything in that book—you might not know where it’s at, but he knows where it’s at. And you know that because midway through the year, he’ll throw something out there.”

Isaiah Hartenstein

On Thibs’ playbook and coaching mindset...

“A lot of other teams, they’ll give you a smaller book,... I’ve never seen something where it’s a big book and we probably don’t run half of the plays. He just puts in a lot of work, tries to give you no excuses not to know anything. Just seeing him in the office that long, I think you don’t have any excuse not to work. From that standpoint, yeah, it’s a privilege to have someone — it kind of makes you want to play harder knowing that he’s putting in that much work. Whenever you go into the gym, it doesn’t matter what time — it could be early, could be late at night. His office looks out to the court. And you could see his light on.”

On what he expects from Embiid and what to do to limit his production...

“You prepare for MVP Joel. You kind of see he’s going through stuff, but at the end of the day, it’s kind of what makes athletes special, we can get through a lot. Especially the athletes in the NBA, who can go through a lot of pain and still play. We’re ready for whatever. We’re prepared, and it’s just gonna be a team effort with Joel.”

“He’s going to seek fouls, so that’s the main thing. Through fouls, he’ll get his little breaks, easy free throws, so that’s the main focus is not letting him to the line and going from there.”

“Keep your hands back, knowing at the end of the day he’s the MVP, so he’s going to get some calls that maybe don’t go in your favor. But at the end of the day it’s really just doing your job, playing team defense, and don’t really put your hands in because he’s gonna try to get it in. But also, it’s smart from him. I mean why not use it? I’m not saying it’s bad. If he’s smart enough to do it, and we keep doing it, that’s on us.”

On thinking about Embiid but acknowledging the Sixers are much more than him...

“Embiid, obviously, is a lot to deal with, but there’s more to their team. We have to be ready for everyone.”