New York host Indiana for Game 1 of the ECF inside Madison Square Garden today!

The day has arrived and we’re about to witness the New York Knicks go to war against a bunch of Hicks.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, that is.

Here’s what we’ve heard from Coach Thibs and many other folks leading up to Game 1 on Wednesday.

Tom Thibodeau

On Mikal Bridges’ steady climb:

“I think in today’s world, the way the media is, and I don’t mean this as a knock on toward you, but I just think social media, people want to judge very quickly, and often times, it’s after a play or two plays. With Mikal, it’s been a steady climb the whole year. I said this from the beginning. It wasn’t like he is a rookie and you don’t know how good he can be. This guy has got a great body of work. Been a terrific player in the league for a long time. So you knew that part of it. This guy has been in the Finals and had a significant role in the Finals, not a minor role, a very significant role.”

On past Knicks-Pacers rivalry years:

“Oh, God. That was a long time ago … Those were the good old days.”

On Rick Carlisle and getting ready for the ECF:

“I have great respect for Rick and I’ve known him a long time. He’s been the head of the coach’s association for ever and done a wonderful job with that. But you have to respect the team and you have to know what goes into winning. I think if you lock into individual matchups and that sort of thing, you get lost in what is really important. You have to prepare for their team and you have to understand that.”

On his relationship with Reggie Miller:

“Who? I talk to our guys.

“I have great respect for him and what he accomplished in his career. When I was in Boston, we tried to get him to join our team. Didn’t work out. He couldn’t cross over the hurdle of leaving Indiana, which I respect.”

On Indiana’s playing style:

“Every team is a little different, but there are some similarities. The uniqueness of their ability to push the ball and skilled bigs. I think that’s sort of the way of the NBA today. I think you have to be adept at guarding offenses that are built like that.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On playing in New York:

“Any time you can do something special here in the city in New York, obviously it’s magnified by five. To find success here in New York is something that is not for everyone, and it’s something that is very difficult to do. For us to be in this position shows that we stepped up to the challenge and we’re also at the benefit of having amazing teammates and support systems, both of us.… There’s still more work to do, but it’s sometimes good to take a step back and appreciate where you’re at and where you came from, and also understand where you still have to go.”

On being honored at Yankee Stadium:

“It was special. Grew up a Yankees fan, diehard Yankees fan, to be respected by New York that way, it means everything. Respect is everything to me. It just makes you want to work harder.”

On Bridges’ defensive chops and overall skill set:

“Everyone in this locker room already knew how special Mikal is. Maybe people on the outside were late to notice, but our locker room’s known who Mikal Bridges was and how important he was to our team. So it’s not a shock to any of us that he’s gotten some of the biggest stops, I would say, in Knicks history at the most perfect times, and he’s shown his worth. For people on the outside that were late to the Mikal Bridges fan club, we’ve been in.”

On the Knicks-Pacers rivalry:

“There’s definitely a sense of hatred for each other, so I think that makes a good rivalry. They have a history of finding a way to end each other’s season. So it’s up to us now to add our names into history and see what we can do.”

On Reggie Miller’s rivalry with New York:

“I just know the atmosphere that New York had around Reggie Miller. I do remember that.”

On the need to stop bitching to refs and getting back quickly in transition defense against the Pacers:

“If we’re going to be doing that, we just have to do that in the flow of getting back on defense. It’s also waiting for dead-ball situations to talk to the refs about what we may not like.”

Mikal Bridges

On relying on the trust of his teammates:

“Maybe just the trust between my coaches and teammates. I think that’s the biggest thing. Trusting them on both sides of the ball, getting trust from them, and knowing they’re confident, it gives me more confidence.”

On Reggie Miller and the Knicks-Pacers rivalry:

“I always knew about Reggie Miller and Spike [Lee]. That was probably the biggest thing I’ve seen growing up.”

On Indiana’s offensive style:

“We’ve got to run, too. We’ve got to communicate. I think transition defense is a lot. And we have to be really good at it. They pick teams apart. They share the ball and they all move, play off each other.”

On the need to stay locked in during live play against Indiana:

“That half-a-second you look and talk to the ref, they’re gone. They’re 5-on-4 … You can’t give them any type of advantage like that. You’ve just got to get back. Maybe when there’s a timeout go talk to the ref and see maybe whatever you thought happened. But during the live play, no. Because that’s just feeding to their game and they’re going to get open looks.”

On the “randomness” of the Pacers’ offense:

“The randomness, the guard skill. It’s a mix of everything… I can go through a list of all the guards too, if you want me to name them, I can name every single one of them.”

Jalen Brunson

On the need for high defensive focus against Indiana:

“Yeah obviously the way we played, we showed we have the ability to do it. We’re gonna have to communicate, talk and do whatever we’ve gotta do against this team, too, ‘cause they’re gonna run, they’re gonna play fast on makes and misses. That’s just in their DNA. It’s gonna be a long way to go. We’ve gotta have each other’s back, we’ve gotta stick together. Nothing’s gonna be perfect but our talk, our energy has to be consistent.”

On Bridges’ Game 6 performance against Boston:

“Talk about a confidence booster—that’s a confidence booster. Damn, we could have been playing Game 7 [if not for him].”

Josh Hart

On Brunson’s clutch play:

“There’s obviously a lot of talented guys in the league, especially in that fourth quarter – guys like Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. But I think his ability to rise to the occasion, his ability to let the ball make the proper play and let games [tell him what to do] situations is unmatched. He’s one of the guys, if we’re down, it’s a couple-possession game toward the end of the fourth quarter, we’re extremely confident because we got guys that are gonna make plays defensively and he’s gonna make the proper play offensively: whether that’s scoring or drawing two guys on his shots, those kinds of things. I think we ride on that. He’s the most clutch player in the NBA right now. We’re happy he’s on our team.”

On Thibodeau’s growth as a coach:

“I think once you have a label, it’s hard to shed that label. Those two series, he showed that he’s willing to adapt, he’s willing to change, he’s willing to do different things than he’s used to. Obviously, that’s a willingness on his end, the trust and belief in his players. Everyone gave him a label and they just ran with that label for the last 10, 15 years. But I think the last two series showed his ability to adapt and change when necessary.”

On guarding Indiana’s shooting attack:

“I think so. You got to try to make them uncomfortable. We looked at the numbers and I think they got four or five guys, six guys, that are shooting 40’s, 50’s. It’s going to be obviously a tough matchup. We have to try to be physical, get to the ball, get them out of rhythm and lastly communicate, so they don’t have open shots. It’s going to be a huge deserve series for us. I think we’re capable of it.”

Tyrese Haliburton

On the upcoming series and Knicks:

“They play really hard. They’ve got a lot of different guys. Obviously, they added [Towns] this year. I’m excited to compete against those guys. We played against them last year. It’s obviously a storied rivalry between two franchises. So to add another chapter to it is going to be a lot of fun.”

Myles Turner

On the Knicks’ rebounding:

“That’s where a good amount of their offense has come. Guys like Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, [Karl-Anthony] Towns, guys are going to the boards heavy, giving them extra possessions.”

Andrew Nembhard

On the Knicks’ physicality and team effort:

“I think their starting lineup is really good. They’ve got a physical team. They’ve got size. They’re a problem on the offensive boards. They’re just a tough, tough team. You have to have a full team effort to kind of grind those guys out of there.”

DeMarcus Cousins

On choosing Brunson over Luka Doncic:

“I’m going to take Jalen Brunson (over Doncic) because he’s still playing, that’s obvious. One guy is at home and one guy is playing, so I’m taking Brunson.

“We’re not talking about who is the best overall talent. If we’re talking about who’s the best overall talent, yeah we can go with Luka, but as of right now I’m going to take the guy that’s still active in the playoffs.”

Rick Pitino

On the challenge the Pacers will present the Knicks with:

“This is a tough series, tougher than people may think because [the Pacers] don’t have the cachet of the Celtics. [Indiana coach] Rick Carlisle is as good of a basketball mind as there is in the game. Thank God we have [Tom Thibodeau] because it’s gonna be a tough battle. I think if they can stay close in the fourth quarter, you feel like they’re definitely going to win. [Jalen] Brunson has the ability, I’ve never seen a 6-1 guy have the ability to get any shot he wants. He’s just amazing.”

Stephon Marbury

On Brunson’s standing in the league:

“He’s the ultimate leader. To me, he’s the best guard in the NBA, First-Team All-NBA, him and [MVP front-runner] Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander].”

Walt Frazier

On what it takes to be a champion:

“If you want these, you gotta overcome adversity. The [Knicks are] seeking revenge, but the Pacers have confidence. The [Knicks are] gonna suffer from fatigue — [The Pacers] play 10 guys, we play seven — but you gotta overcome it. You want to be a champion, you gotta deal with the trials and tribulations. I haven’t played in [46] years, but you see how the people react when they see me. If they win a championship, this is their legacy.”