Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein stuffs Nuggets forward Jeff Green in...

Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein stuffs Nuggets forward Jeff Green in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

The Knicks have been careful not to look ahead, responding to any question about what they’ve achieved by insisting that the focus is only on the task directly in front of them, whether it is the next game or the next practice.

And now, as they approach the final 10 games of the regular season with a playoff spot all but assured, we can — even if they won’t — start to look toward just what this team is and what the Knicks can accomplish.  

We also can throw up a caution flag, with the team displaying in recent days the things that can ruin what has been an impressive and surprising season.

“I feel like we’re in a great position because we came a long way,” Jalen Brunson said. “But we have a lot more to prove to ourselves, first and foremost.

“I think, honestly, we’ve obviously turned a lot of heads, but I think most importantly, we’re proving to each other that we belong, and we’ve got to continue to do that night in, night out. And I can’t really worry about what anybody says about us outside the court, but when we’re inside those lines, all we got to focus on is us, and we’ve been doing a great job of doing that. We just got to keep doing that.”

First, let’s put to rest the thoughts that this season is just like the one two years ago. That team was a perfect storm in the regular season, able to avoid the COVID shutdowns and absences that slowed nearly every other team. In empty arenas, Tom Thibodeau had his team prepared and playing at a high level every night.

Then in the playoffs, reality set in, as an Atlanta Hawks squad the Knicks had beaten in all four regular-season meetings dominated and disposed of them in five games.

This team is led at the point by Brunson, a far cry from the team two years ago that had Elfrid Payton starting all season long until Derrick Rose, acquired at midseason, took over as the starter in the playoffs.

And there have been no empty arenas or hollow rosters. Each team is as ready for the Knicks as the Knicks are ready for them.

But recent troubles could serve as a warning. Most important, the Knicks need to be healthy. They need Brunson ready for the postseason. Immanuel Quickley has been a revelation this season. Deuce McBride is a tenacious backup. But Brunson makes the Knicks go, takes the pressure off Julius Randle and every other player, and provides a calming demeanor when things get tough.

Some fans may not want to hear this, but the Knicks must remain true to what Thibodeau has been preaching. They don’t have a superstar to carry them and have gotten this far with solid contributions up and down the lineup — a 2023 version of the thought two years ago that they were 15 deep. While they may be deep, it’s eight or nine players who actually get into games — nine now, and that could tighten in the postseason.

So sacrifice and selflessness have been a mantra Thibodeau has preached. It seemed on track, at least until Tuesday, when Mitchell Robinson went to social media to gripe about his lack of offensive opportunities.

This came after a solid win in Portland to end the road trip. Robinson had taken only two shots in 21 minutes — and his complaints rang hollow, given that his backup, Isaiah Hartenstein, took one shot in 26 minutes and was a plus-19 compared to Robinson’s minus-4.

Robinson backtracked on social media days later, but the apology wasn’t the point as much as the need to understand his job — serving as the defensive anchor in the paint and doing the dirty work under the boards. It’s a well-compensated job after the team handed him a four-year, $60 million contract in the summer.

His sacrifice — if it is that, given that he’s rarely shown a hint of the ability to do more than rim run, dunk lobs and draw defenders before hitting the offensive glass — seems slight compared to that of a player like Rose, who has been confined to the bench, or Evan Fournier, similarly buried on the bench while still in the prime of his career a year after setting a franchise record for three-pointers.

It’s worked because of their professionalism and because the players inserted have filled their roles, defense first.

“I think everyone understands how important he is to our team, but winning is the most important thing,” Thibodeau said. “So that’s what I’m looking at. Let’s think about the team first . . . Have a bad day, bounce back, the next day have a great day and put the team first.”

Robinson, who was not accessible to the media Friday, likely got the hint. He’s voiced this sentiment before. He is not a typical disgruntled employee; he is the class clown of the locker room.

“We’re still together,” said Hartenstein, who has grown close to Robinson since arriving as a free agent in the summer. “It’s not like he’s coming into practice [complaining]. He’s always there, he’s always interactive. He’s always been a good teammate around him. He kind of got frustrated.”

But for a team like the Knicks, it’s a thin line between success and failure. That margin for error grows slimmer if any piece of the puzzle is removed, whether it is an injury or someone not handling his job.

Stacking up victories

The Knicks’ win over Denver on Saturday upped their record to 42-30, their highest victory total since 2012-13, when they won 54 games. Two years ago, they finished 41-31 in the COVID-shortened season.

“I don’t know, man,” Josh Hart said. “It’s the most wins I’ve had in six years. I’m enjoying it. I think we’re all enjoying it.

“But like I said, we’re not complacent. I think that’s the biggest thing, I think that’s the biggest thing of this team is we have toughness.

“We have resilience. We have great leadership. I think that’s the biggest thing. We got to continue to take that all the way through to the end of the season.”

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