Knicks' Josh Hart, Tom Thibodeau Downplay Heated Exchange

A heated New York Knicks exchange between Josh Hart and Tom Thibodeau is apparently nothing out of the ordinary.

Geoff Magliocchetti | 15 Hours Ago

Dec 5, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau talks with New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) on the sideline against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

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Rest assured, New York Knicks fans: it was simply tough love between Josh Hart and Tom Thibodeau.

As another opportunity to earn a statement victory slipped away on Saturday, tensions appeared to boil over on the Knicks' bench during their primetime clash with the Golden State Warriors. ABC cameras caught a heated exchange between Hart and Thibodeau during a timeout with 8:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, seemingly the cursed capper of yet another disappointing showing on another grand state.

Though the Knicks indeed fell short, dropping a 97-94 interconference decision at Chase Center, both Thibodeau and Hart nixed the thought of a lasting metropolitan schism.

Josh Hart & Tom Thibodeau got into a heated exchange during a timeout pic.twitter.com/DnaK9TqPsD
— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) March 16, 2025

"I love Josh, you guys know that," Thibodeau said in his public comments in the aftermath (h/t New York Basketball on X). "Just whatever can get us going, just try to get us going."

The questioner, Fred Katz of The Athletic, labeled the incident a "passionate moment," an assessment Thibodeau instantly agreed with. Katz documented his postgame exchange with Hart as well, and it appears that the "Roommates Show" co-host concurred with Thibodeau's thoughts on the matter.

“You all know me. You know my feelings towards Thibs,” Hart said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “You’re not going to find a more loyal player. I love Thibs. I think that was just my frustration coming out with the flow of the game, my own individual performance."

"It was just something that just happened in the heat of the moment. I’m a competitor. Obviously, he’s a competitor. So sometimes those things happen. I don’t think it really, it doesn’t affect our relationship. It doesn’t show anything of what’s going on. It’s just two extremely competitive people in a fiery moment. I love Thibs. I love what he’s doing.”

Hart certainly had every right to be frustrated on Saturday night: he was held scoreless in 39 minutes, missing all seven of his tries from the field as the Knicks (42-24) failed to muster a winning record on their five-game West Coast tour. It was the busiest fruitless scoring night of Hart's career and his first time being blanked on at least seven attempts since December 2019 as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Though on-screen tension between a coach and player is always sure to generate sensational headlines, there's no reason to believe that there are any lasting lack of pleasantries between Hart and Thibodeau. Hart has routinely embraced even the so-called extreme aspects of Thibodeau's approach with minutes, as he has routinely played complete games under his watch.

It'll likely take far more than a heated exchange in a close regular season game to generate any lasting wedge between them, and Hart's buy-in was well on display when he inked a long-term deal to stay in Manhattan after coming over at the 2023 trade deadline.

Hart and Thibodeau will look to get back on the right track as they move toward the postseason.

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Published 15 Hours Ago