Knicks Bulletin: “Philly fans mad? That’s idiotic.“

The Knicks went back to Tarrytown for practice ahead of their trip to Philadelphia to face the 76ers on the road in Game 3 for their first-round series, scheduled to tip-off Thursday.

No news to report is great news at this point of the season, so that’s a positive outcome coming heading into the first matchup to be played in Philly this month and the second-to-last before the Knicks clinch a place in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Here is what Tom Thibodeau, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and other folks have said in the past few hours.

Tom Thibodeau

On the NBA’s Last-2-Minute Report from Game 2...

“I’m more concerned with the 46-minute report. And I mean that. I knew they couldn’t call a foul there. I’m watching the way Jalen’s being guarded.”

“I’m locked into Game 3. That’s where we are. We don’t get sidetracked with that stuff. I watch the whole game, not two minutes worth.”

Josh Hart

On Philadelphia 76ers fans being mad at Villanova’s tweet praising the trio of former Wildcats playing for the Knicks...

“Why? That’s so stupid. Villanova’s in our blood, bro. That’s a bond that goes deeper than where you’re from or who you’re rooting for or whatever. Like, we have a bond there that goes beyond basketball, that goes beyond any of that stuff.”

“For Philly fans to be mad about that, I think that’s idiotic. That’s who we are. We’re a family. We played for the ones that come before us there, and that’s how it is there. So I don’t care about it.”

”I think it’s idiotic that Philly fans are mad about it. Because whether they like it or not, Villanova’s in our blood.”

On the Sixers finding a way to reduce Jalen Brunson’s impact in the game through the first two games...

“Got to give Philly credit. Oubre and Batum, they guard [Brunson] full-court. I don’t think there’s anything he has to do different.”

“You shoot yourself into a slump and you shoot yourself out of a slump. So, for him, he has to just continue to shoot, continue to be aggressive. That’s what we need.”

”Maybe we can play faster, try to get him cleaner looks where he’s not battling the holding—or try to push off, exert physical energy trying to get the ball and try to make something happen.”

Jalen Brunson

On how he plans to adjust to the Sixers matchups and coverages in Game 3...

“The easy answer is I need to adjust and I need to be more poised, just understand what they’re doing and just flat-out be better.”

On Josh Hart and the rest of the team lifting the Knicks to a 2-0 lead while he’s struggled...

“Those guys have been phenomenal. At some point, I’ll get up to their level.”

On Joel Embiid’s comments about Philly playing good enough they should be 2-0 instead of 0-2...

“We see it, but there’s nothing we can really do. It’s the playoffs. If you need any more ammunition now, then I don’t know if you’re in the right business.”

On which type of environment he expects to find in Philadelphia for Games 3 & 4...

“It’s fun. It’s a test to see where you are as a team. In those environments, you have no choice but to stick together. We know that it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be pretty cool to see their fan base, so it’s just another opportunity for us.”

“It will take a lot of mental toughness, poise and just being focused. There’s going to be times where things aren’t going our way. It’s just how we respond to every situation and making sure we have the right mindset in everything that we’re doing.”

Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers Player)

On the sequence that led to the Sixers loss in Game 2...

“We’ve got to let it go. We had our time to grieve about it. That’s the past. Like y’all have said, they protect the home court. We have to do the same. So, it is what it is. We’ve got to let it go. We can’t dwell on it now. If we dwell on it, in a couple of days, we’ll be down 0-3. We don’t want to be down 0-3. We can’t leave the games in other peoples’ hands. We’ve got to go out there and take it.”