"That's it" - Knicks HC Tom Thibodeau makes feelings crystal clear about furious exchange with Josh Hart

The New York Knicks suffered a narrow 97-94 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. While Karl-Anthony Towns and Steph Curry put on a show, much of the buzz came from a moment during a Knicks timeout, where coach Tom Thibodeau and Josh Hart were seen exchanging words in what appeared to be a heated interaction.

During the timeout, the two were seen shouting at each other, with Hart animated in his gestures. However, Thibodeau downplayed the moment in his postgame press conference, calling it a display of passion and reinforcing his admiration for Hart.

"Aw, yeah, I love Josh, you guys know that,” Thibodeau said. “Just whatever can get us going, just try to get us going."

When asked by Knicks reporter Fred Katz if the exchange was simply a passionate moment, Thibodeau kept it brief:

“Yeah, that's it."

The game was neck-and-neck until the closing minutes. With the score tied at 88-88 and three minutes left, Curry took over, fueling an 8-1 Warriors run that gave them a 96-89 lead with just 15 seconds remaining, essentially sealing the win.

Hart struggled offensively, going scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting, but contributed elsewhere with seven rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block.

Towns shined in Jalen Brunson’s absence, leading the Knicks with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while OG Anunoby added 23 points and nine boards. Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride chipped in 19 apiece.

For the Warriors, Curry led the way with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Tom Thibodeau, Mikal Bridges address minutes concern

A major recent storyline for the Knicks has been Mikal Bridges' concerns over the heavy minutes played by the starters. Bridges previously told reporters he had spoken with coach Tom Thibodeau about the issue, noting that bench players could step up to ease the load.

“Sometimes, it’s not fun on the body,” Bridges said earlier this week (per NY Post). “But you want that as a coach, and also talked to him a little bit knowing that we’ve got a good enough team where our bench guys can come in and we don’t need to play 48, 47 minutes."

“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team that can take away minutes. Which helps the defense, helps the offense, helps tired bodies being out there and giving up all these points. It helps just keeping fresh bodies out there.”

However, Thibodeau denied any such conversation took place. As of Saturday, though, the matter appears to be settled. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that both sides have moved on, calling it “history.”

The Knicks will next host the Miami Heat, before hitting the road for a two-game trip against the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets.