DETROIT — Malik Beasley spoke first.
Josh Hart and the Knicks had the last laugh.
Beasley, who had gone out of his way to troll the Knicks throughout the series, took a shot at them Thursday morning at Pistons shootaround.
“Mental battle: Coach has been preaching this whole year,” Beasley said. “We’ve gotta be mentally stronger than everybody. I think we are that mentally stronger team.”
But the Knicks don’t win Game 6, which they did, 116-113 to close out the series, without ample mental toughness.
They surrendered a disastrous 20-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
The raucous home crowd was deafening as the Pistons took a 112-105 lead with 2:35 left in the game.
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The Knicks looked lost and like they were about to capitulate.
Then, they showed who was really mentally tougher.
They responded by outscoring the Pistons 11-1 to close the game.
“We’re a tough group,” Hart said. “Everyone likes to paint us as not, but we’re a tough, physical group. This was a physical series. It was a grueling series. And I think we showed our physicality, our toughness, but also our mental toughness the way we handled adversity. During those adverse situations, we banded together. We didn’t play as individuals. It was a great series for us.”
Even sweeter for the Knicks, Beasley let the ball slip through his fingers and go out of bounds on the Pistons’ final play when they had a chance to tie the game.
Knicks’ Game 6 series-clinching win over the Pistons. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Knicks have received plenty of criticism throughout the year for not being as tough as last year’s team. Thursday night, though, they showed courageous resilience.
“Hang tough, persevere, get through things,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “The playoffs, it’s all about your toughness and your discipline. There’s gonna be a lot of emotional highs and lows, you gotta get through all that. You gotta stay focused on the task at hand. And then you gotta get the job done.
“I think you learn from every game. You have to take the things you learn and move forward. What are the games teaching us? Sometimes you fall short. And if you fall short, study, learn and do it better the next time. That’s a big part of mental toughness.”