Josh Hart Says 'I Love Thibs' After Viral Video of Heated Exchange in Knicks' Loss

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart denied having any problems with head coach Tom Thibodeau after cameras picked up a tense exchange between the two during the team's 97-94 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

During a stoppage in play midway through the fourth quarter, Hart and Thibodeau got animated on the sideline. The Knicks trailed by nine points at the time, while Hart was on his way to finishing with zero points on 0-of-7 shooting.

The veteran said after the game the moment reflected his frustration with himself more than anything else.

"Yeah, I was just, you know, it was just something that just happened in the heat of the moment," he said, per the New York Post's Stefan Bondy. "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. And he's putting us in the best position to be successful."

Thibodeau was equally quick to dismiss any wider significance to his argument with Hart.

Still, you could forgive fans who watched the interaction live and wondered whether it symbolized growing fissures within the team.

The Knicks have dropped four of their last six. ESPN's Shams Charania reported star guard Jalen Brunson could miss up to two more weeks with his ankle sprain. Fellow star Mikal Bridges publicly acknowledged previous conversations with Thibodeau about how many minutes the starters are logging.

Things aren't exactly great in the Big Apple right now.

But an NBA season is a months-long grind and there are always going to be moments when tensions between players and/or coaches boil over. They don't always have a wider significance besides releasing the pressure valve a bit.

The Knicks host the Miami Heat on Monday, and that's followed by winnable games against the San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks. Should New York reel off a nice winning streak, what happened Saturday night at Chase Center will be easily forgotten.