Knicks Bulletin: “I’m not stepping foot in that state.”

The Knicks enjoyed a well-deserved day off on Friday after dealing with Philadelphia and sending the Sixers to Cancun in six games through their first-round series.

With New York reaching the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second time in as many years and the first time since did it in nine straight years covering the whole 90s, it’s now a waiting game until basketball returns to the Garden on Monday for Game 1 of the matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

Here is some of the quotes we missed after Game 6 as we fell asleep, as well as a few comments from former Knickerbocker Obi Toppin and his new friends from the cornfields.

Tom Thibodeau

On defeating Philly away from MSG...

“Was it hostile? Philly’s a great sports town.”

On beating the Sixers on the road on hostile territory...

“A lot of our guys don’t have a lot of playoff experience. Going through a series like this is invaluable to them. It was high intensity, there’s a lot of emotion to it and crazy things can happen, good and bad, and you have to be ready to handle both.”

On the Next-Man-Up Knicks never giving up and always trying to improve...

“That’s the thing I love about our team. It’s a team. They’re fighters. They don’t stay down. And I think that’s the biggest part of the mental toughness is always having the ability to believe you can do better.”

Jalen Brunson

On the first-round series against the 76ers and how the team approached the matchup...

“No matter what the situation is we’re going to attack it. I just think that no matter who’s in front of us or whatever we’re going to go out there, play our style of basketball. We’re going to grind. We’re going to respect our opponent. We’re going to know it’s always going to be a difficult situation no matter who you’re playing in this league. So going into this we knew it was going to be a grind and we just found ways to win—and found ways to lose, too.”

“It’s always going to be something we’re going to continue to learn every single time we’re on the court. So it doesn’t really matter the situation or the team. We just know every situation is different and we need to approach it with the same mentality.”

On advancing to the Eastern Conference Semis for the second consecutive season...

“[It means] a lot. In the locker room after the game it was quiet, so we all knew that we missed an opportunity. But we know that coming into [Game 6] we needed to have a good start. We haven’t had a good start all series. Obviously they fought back and took the lead, but the start definitely helped us, and it was back and forth from that point on. I just like the way we kept fighting. I think that’s what we’ve been talking about all year, just make sure we keep fighting no matter what the situation is, we have to stick together and we’re going to fight.”

Josh Hart

On his preference not to visit Indiana...

“If I don’t have to play the Indiana Pacers, I’m not stepping foot in that state. I don’t want to be in Indiana for any All-Star break, for anything. I am not an Indiana guy.”

“I will say they do get a White Castle there. I love White Castle. It’s the only solid thing about Indiana. And Long’s Bakery. Fire donuts. If not for those two things, psshh. Long’s Bakery? Donuts are top tier. Indiana? Bottom of the barrel.”

Obi Toppin (Indiana Pacers Player)

On facing the Knicks in the ECSF...

“I feel like I’m gonna have the same mentality that I had coming into this series. No matter who’s in front of us, we’re locked into everything the coaches are telling us to do offensively and defensively, whether it’s the Knicks, whether it’s the Bucks, anybody we’re playing against.”

Rick Carlisle (Indiana Pacers Head Coach)

On Obi Toppins’ playoffs-best outing in Game 6 against the Bucks...

“I thought Obi came in and played with unbelievable energy … our bench’s energy was just flowing the whole game.”

T.J. McConnell (Indiana Pacers Head Player)

On what Toppin adds to the Pacers...

“I just tell [Toppin] that in the open floor, there’s not many guys in the NBA that can really challenge him at the rim. When he’s running the way he does, he just takes our group to another level. He’s a special player, his ability to shoot the ball and get out and run and create mismatches in transition and go catch lobs.”