Thibodeau gives classic response to what NBA Cup means to him after Knicks win

The New York Knicks needed to beat the Magic on Tuesday to advance to the NBA Cup knockout round. It was a battle between two 3-0 group play teams, but it didn't look like one. New York was down early after a few Kentavious Caldwell-Pope threes, but the team quickly stormed back.

The Knicks cruised to a 121-106 win to win East Group A and will host the Hawks in the knockout round next week. The winner will be one of four teams to advance to the semifinal in Las Vegas next weekend. New York could be the first Eastern Conference team to win the NBA Cup after the Lakers won it last year.

What does Tom Thibodeau think about the NBA Cup? He isn't worried about that right now. Why? He's focused on the Knicks' next game, which has nothing to do with the NBA Cup, as New York will host Charlotte on Thursday.

Tom Thibodeau doesn't care about the NBA Cup (at least not yet)

Thibodeau would never sit in his postgame press conference and talk about how cool a December trip to Vegas would be. Or rave about his team making it to the knockout round for the second straight year. His attention is on the Hornets.

Charlotte sits No. 13 in the East with a 6-15 record, but New York narrowly beat the Hornets on Black Friday, 99-98. LaMelo Ball didn't play in that game, either. The Knicks were lucky to escape North Carolina with a win.

Ball was diagnosed with a calf strain on Nov. 30 and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, so he'll also miss Thursday's contest in New York. However, as Knicks fans already know, that doesn't guarantee an easy win.

New York's next three games before the knockout round come against some conference bottom-dwellers (Charlotte, Detroit, Toronto). The Knicks could enter next Wednesday's game against the Hawks on a six-game win streak, or they could slip up and lose against a team with a worse record than them. Remember the Jazz game?

It's good that Thibodeau isn't concerned with the NBA Cup (yet). The next game is still a week away. He'll shift his focus to the Hawks when the Knicks leave Toronto on Monday, and if New York wins that game, he'll think about Vegas.