Here’s hoping New York is hosting the final first-round game between Knicks and Pistons.

The Knicks host the Pistons inside MSG on Tuesday for what could be a series-deciding Game 5.

New York is coming off back-to-back wins over Detroit, both of them earned in Motor City, even with a ravenous home crowd in attendance and referees trying to swing the impact of the series in the Pistons’ favor, allowing more physicality than could be seen in the early 90s.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and a few other folks have said ahead of tonight’s affair.

Tom Thibodeau

On the importance of mental toughness through the playoffs:

“Mental toughness to me is the belief you can always do things better. I know we have a mentally tough team and we understand it’s a big part of winning. I think when you look at playoffs a lot of times you see there’s a lot of one-possession games, and you don’t know what possession is going to be the difference. That’s why every possession does matter and you should fight to win every possession. And so, you get a couple stops in a row and you get a hustle play. And the next thing you know you are on a run. You have to have the belief and the toughness, but I also think the discipline has to be a priority for everybody.”

On blocking out outside noise:

“To me, it’s understanding what goes into winning. I think for the media and social media, it’s to add all those other things into it. For us, we don’t get lost in that stuff because that stuff doesn’t matter. What matters is how you prepare yourself to win and understand what goes into winning. If you do that, you’ll enhance your chances of winning.”

On Mikal Bridges’ defense:

“I think for the entire season, it’s been a steady climb for him. He’s always had that ability. He’s always been a very good defensive player. He’s got great length and anticipation. He knows how to challenge shots. He can get to the second and third efforts. When you have long limbs like that, it makes the defense a lot better. I think that’s what’s causing a lot of turnovers — if the ball pressure is strong, we can get out in passing lanes, get some turnovers, get into the open floor, and fuel our offense.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ versatility:

“He has tremendous confidence. He has an amazing touch. He shoots the ball like a guard. He has unlimited range and he can score off the dribble. He can score back to the basket. He can score a lot of different ways. When he’s moving around, that’s when he’s the hardest to guard. We have to continue to search him out and he has to continue to move.”

Josh Hart

On his growth and becoming a servant for the Knicks:

“I think it’s realizing … for me, I feel like I’ve grown in my faith more. I’ve been trying to take on that servant mentality. I want to make sure I can cater to these guys and make sure that they’re successful and put in the right positions to blossom.”

On embracing a team-first role:

“All the other starters scored 20, and I was fine with scoring six points, getting 11 rebounds and nine assists. I was happy to get those guys going and KAT going. This year, I’ve come to the realization of making sure (my teammates) are good.”

On maturing and adapting to situations:

“Once you start maturing, are more secure with yourself and not trying to do anything different, you learn who you are as a player and person. You’re good with that. You don’t care about the outside noise.”

On the referees’ impact on the first-round series:

“Last two minutes of Game 2, they missed an and-one dunk from me that, if I made the free throw, we’re up one. Last year, y’all saw that Philly series, there were a couple of missed calls at the end of games that we don’t pay attention to. We go with whatever they call. Sometimes it benefits us, sometimes it doesn’t.”

On Thibodeau’s influence on the Knicks:

“Making sure that we’re grounded. Making sure that we’re valuing every possession. We’re always, I feel like, one of the best-prepared teams in the league. That’s a credit to him and his philosophy. Now we’ve gotta roll that into Game 5.”

Jalen Brunson

On Josh Hart’s mindset:

“Since the moment I’ve met him, since day one of being in the league, that’s who he is. That’s what he prides himself on.”

On Tom Thibodeau’s preparation and coaching style:

“He does a lot for our team and there’s a lot of people who don’t give him that credit, but I’m happy to say he puts us in position where we’re prepared, we’re ready, and he lets us play. He lets us play for sure. He lets us talk things out. He talks things out, too. But for the most part, he’s gonna let us play, he’s gonna let us figure it out, and we’re gonna have to figure it out together. He puts us in position to be successful, and that’s how he’s been since I’ve known him.”

On Mikal Bridges’ key defensive chops:

“He’s able to be disruptive. He’s able to make plays. It’s just who he is. He’s had that ability since I can remember, back in our Villanova days, trying not to let our offense dictate how we’re playing. So he brought that over today, and he was very effective. We have the utmost confidence in him, regardless of what’s going on throughout the game.”

Mikal Bridges

On Jalen Brunson’s Game 4 heroics:

“He’s gonna take us to the promised land. At the end of the game and that fourth quarter, he’s gonna make those shots, make big plays. Just who he’s always been.”

Mitchell Robinson

On his free-throw struggles:

“S–t happens. You’re not going to shoot it well every night. And also, I didn’t really get a good rhythm going so … stick to what I know best and shoot the ball.”

Cam Payne

On what he told Bridges to motivate him in Game 4:

“The PG version? ‘Make some damn shots.’ I can’t say [what I told him] on tape, but just know I was giving him a hard time. That’s how we fight through things. The accountability factor. I can go up to him and tell him anything and he respects it — and he does the same thing to me.”

On motivating Bridges and getting motivated himself from teammates:

“Most of the time, it be like — first quarter, I be tryna find a way to get him going to get me going. He’ll get me going with energy, so when we [the second unit] come out there, we got energy, too. We kind of fight each other for energy.”

On Bridges hitting shots despite struggles:

“I just told him to keep being aggressive. I feel like stats always come around, and he made some of the biggest shots for us and kind of got us back in the game. He wasn’t shooting well before that, but just knowing that people trust him — the confidence we give him on the bench, that boost — it translates to the game. He hit some big shots and kept us alive. The little things matter.”

Mark Cuban (Tank Shark)

On officiating becoming more physical in the playoffs:

“I guarantee you that no one at the top of the NBA made the decision that the games should be more physical. It’s the officials managing the games their way. Nothing changed in the rule book or case book. Right now every team still in [the playoffs] is calling the NBA asking what the hell is going on.”

On the consequences of that increasing physicality:

“The problem is that everything in the NBA always goes to excess. Guys will use physicality as a replacement for skill. Teams will adapt their rosters accordingly. If this stays in place for next [regular] season, I could see every team having a 2-way whose greatest ability is to fight and intimidate.”