The ball did go in, and indeed, it did.

Do you feel it? It’s anxiety.

The Knicks will play the Celtics, aiming at winning their first second-round series since they last did in 2000 (yes, you read that right), starting Monday. For now, we wait.

Here’s what Coach Thibs and a buncha people have said over the past few hours.

Tom Thibodeau

On not having home-court advantage over Boston:

“We’ve been a pretty good road team all year. So I think to have that focus when you’re on the road, it’s just your group. Obviously, we have a great fan base, and a lot of our fans travel. But you’re just relying on each other. You have to have belief and trust in each other.”

On getting ready for the Celtics:

“Obviously, we’ll be doing a lot of work in the next couple days, and our assistants and our advance guys have been working on it for a long time….They’re the defending champion so we know we’re going to have to be at our best.”

On Brunson’s creativity:

“He gets a lot of attention and he’s getting trapped and he knows how to move without the ball. Obviously, very clever with the ball. Shifty can get to the spots he wants.”

On Brunson’s Game 6 shot and leadership:

“His focus is terrific. He never gets sidetracked with anything but the game, so he’s never thinking about what people say, or fans or the opponent or stuff like that. He’s locked into getting the job done and bringing his teammates with him. The same could be said for all our starters. They’re willing to sacrifice for each other, and we know we have to play hard.”

On the excellent Game 6 dagger:

“Jalen’s shot, what can you say? He’s at his best when his best is needed. He’s done it all year. That’s what makes him special.”

Josh Hart

On eliminating the Pistons on the road:

“It’s a great feeling. Obviously, we’re disappointed we couldn’t do it at home in front of our fans, but that’s one of the best feelings in sports, going into a hostile environment of an opposing team and silencing them.”

On the team effort in Game 6:

“It’s huge, and it’s all of us. I think everyone out there contributed at the end of the game. Huge, huge shoutout to [Bridges]. Shot wasn’t falling in this series, but he did everything else. He was guarding, his defense was amazing in this series. Thirty seconds left, he had one of the biggest plays, an effort tip-in. [Brunson’s] shot was huge. Big credit to him for keeping mentally strong and playing his game.”

On Brunson’s game-winner:

“Great move, and great thing he made because he would’ve given them a chance to win it. That’s our guy. Clutch Player of the Year for a reason. It feels good to move on.”

On Brunson’s being ready for the moment:

“[He works on that move] all the time. There wasn’t any doubt because he puts the work in. When you put the work in you can live with any outcome. We’re very comfortable with the ball in his hands. Heck of a bucket.”

On the second-round matchup with the Celtics:

“We’re good. Need a couple of days to recover physically. But we know that’s going to be a test.

“They’re the champs last year. They’re playing at a very high level. It’s going to test us. But we’re confident in ourselves. We’re comfortable with who we are. I think we’ve grown. We’re continuing to grow. So it’s going to be a heck of a battle. That’s a great team with a great coaching staff. So it’s going to be a good series.”

Jalen Brunson

On trusting his instincts during the move:

“I don’t really go and think, ‘Alright, I’m gonna make this move right here.’ It’s just instinct. He beat me to the spot. He cut me off. Just went back the other way, and I found a lot of space, and I was able to take a shot.”

On the Game 6 final shot:

“If [that shot] doesn’t go in, hopefully we go into overtime. We had a lot of time left. But the ball did go in. That’s all I care about.”

On Ausar Thompson’s defense:

“Just found a way to create some separation. Shot it a little earlier than I wanted to but, Ausar is such a great defender man. And just the fact that I got that much space, I had to shoot it. … That dude was tough to play against. He is big-time. And I told him straight to his face after the series, he made me work, so I have a lot of respect for him.”

On playing the Celtics next:

“I think every series is different, but we can learn from our experiences as we go on. I don’t want to say it’s going to be different, but obviously, we’re playing against the defending champs next time. So it’s going to be a lot different.

“Playing this team that we just played—I’m not discrediting them at all, but they have experience. The Celtics have experience. And playing these guys, they were just physical. They brought the fight to us. And we had to respond, and we did.

“But every series is going to be different. And you got to respect each opponent you play and then you got to go from there and make adjustments. But everything is different. From the first quarter, the first thing, everything is going to be different.”

Mikal Bridges

On defending Boston’s wings:

“Yeah, they’re a hell of players and got moves for days and physical. Yeah, definitely a challenge, but it’s never one-on-one. You got four guys behind you, your teammates, so it’s just team defense and just helping each other out.”

On Brunson’s poise:

“I just know him so well and I think high pressure situations happen that doesn’t phase him. I’ve been around him so long and he’s even keeled throughout the whole night. Doesn’t matter if he’s struggling, no matter if he’s hooping, you can never tell.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On Thompson vs. Brunson:

“It’s tough, and you feel for [Thompson] because you’re playing one of the premier players in the NBA, and you’re a premier defender and sometimes good defense is beat by great offense. And JB is a special player, so I think he’ll learn from that, he’ll grow from this experience, and for me, I want to see him evolve from this moment and use this as motivation.”

On the third-quarter turnaround in Game 6:

“I would hope it was more about the desperation of being in a Game 6 in Detroit and less about the layup lines. We’ll figure out if that was the reason, but I hope it’s not about the layup lines.”

On prioritizing winning above losing pretty:

“It doesn’t matter about stats, it doesn’t matter about personal accolades, it’s about finding a way to win and we did that. I know the city only cares about one thing, and that’s W’s, and we found a way to get that done.”

Cam Payne

On Bridges’ pre-third-quarter leadership:

“That’s his new name, ‘Layup Line ’Kal.’ We get off to slow starts in the third [quarter]. … He’s trying to go ahead and close the series out. Before we walked out [of the locker room], he was like, ‘I need everyone out here to do these layups.’ But I respect that, I respect it. It got us going, we came out in the third and played well. That was big time. Everybody listened to him.”

On Brunson’s shot:

“Man I seen him work on [that move] all the time. I work out with him every day, so I ain’t gone say I’m surprised. That’s Clutch Player of the Year. He’s that for a reason. So he made a hell of a play.”

OG Anunoby

On Brunson’s final shot:

“I thought it was going in. I think most shots he shoots are going in. I wasn’t surprised it went in at all. He’s a great player.”

J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)

On Thompson’s effort vs. Brunson:

“I give Ausar a ton of credit for what he was doing out there defensively, the effort that he put in. He’s guarding one of the most difficult matchups in the NBA. And again, you’ve got to tip your hat to Brunson for creating the space and finding his shot there at the end. But he’s hard to guard, and the space that they play with and how he can generate space at his size is remarkable. And again, I thought Ausar did a great job on him. [Jalen] just did what he does and made one more.”

Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons Player)

On defending Brunson:

“I’ve gotta do a better job of absorbing the contact and staying with him. I’ve gotta hit the weight room.”

On the final play:

“Probably not gonna watch [that play] for a little.”

Malik Beasley (Detroit Pistons Player)

On Ausar Thompson’s defense:

“[Ausar Thompson] was pissed. He is the best defender in the world. He felt like he should’ve got a stop on that last possession.”

On his skill set:

“I’m the best shooter in the world. I feel like I should’ve [gotten a shot off] on that last possession.”

Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics Head Coach)

On defending Brunson:

“You can’t do it with one guy, right? It takes a team — takes different matchups, takes different coverages, but there’s got to be a level of physicality, a level of discipline, a level of attention to detail on tendencies at the same time..If you add up all the points, there are a number of points to which you can work to be disciplined and work to control. At the same time, he’s a great player, and he’s going to make plays.”