Back in Friday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden, New York Knicks center Kyle O'Quinn was shown on MSG Network's cameras yelling expletives towards Jeff Hornacek who was upset with O’Quinn for not closing out on defense better on a 3-pointer by Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, according to an article written on Sunday by Knicks beat writer Marc Berman of the New York Post, O'Quinn said that he was in the wrong for yelling at Hornacek and that the hatchet between player and coach is already buried.
“I'd be the first one to say that my wrong reaction was the wrong one. I shouldn't have come back. Just because somebody is yelling at me I shouldn't yell back. Two wrongs don't make a right,” O'Quinn said of his role in the Hornacek situation.
O’Quinn said that there wasn't even a need to talk to Hornacek about the incident after Friday’s contest because he doesn't think it's something that should linger.
“Two grown men respect each other in our own right,’’ O’Quinn said. “I would never disrespect a coach to the point we have to hash it out the next year. It sucks it was on TV. The camera was in my mouth. In training camp, practice, there’s a lot more said behind closed doors when you don’t have to speak about it the next day.’’
The center also said he didn't mind that Hornacek appeared to want to go after him during the heated exchange.
“I like that s—,” O'Quinn said of Hornacek. “It was heat of the moment, heat of the game. He's a competitor, ex-player. I'm sure if he's in that position, he would've done something different back in his day. I was fired up at the game. I felt it was a winnable game. They were going to let us dance a bit, and we were going to be in it. It's just a reaction. You know how I am on the floor — fiery.”
A video of the Friday night incident between O'Quinn and coach Hornacek during the Knicks' 108-104 loss to the Timberwolves can be viewed below.
https://twitter.com/KnickFilmSchool/status/977338385470640128
As for Sunday's road contest against the Washington Wizards, which O'Quinn was inactive for due to a strained left hip, the Knicks (27-47) were able to snap a two-game losing streak with a 101-97 victory. The win was the Knicks' first road victory in more than a month, with their last coming against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on Feb. 22.
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