Tom Thibodeau often has stated recently that “you aren’t eliminated until you are eliminated,” but that inevitable moment has come for the Knicks, following their home loss Wednesday night to the Hornets. 

Trae Young and the Hawks clinched the final play-in berth in the Eastern Conference with a home win Thursday night over the Cavaliers, officially eliminating the Knicks one year after their return to the postseason for the first time since 2013. 

Atlanta, of course, also knocked out the Knicks — the surprise No. 4 seed in the East in Thibodeau’s first season as head coach — in five games in the first round last spring. 

Evan Fournier, one of the front office’s key acquisitions last summer, said the Knicks will not change their approach with nothing left to play for over the rest of the regular season. They have five games remaining, beginning with a Saturday matinee against the Cavaliers. 

“I don’t think so. I think in life you have to do things the right way. You have to keep going after it,” said Fournier, who scored a team-high 30 points in Wednesday’s loss. “It doesn’t change how we’re going to approach games or practices or anything really. 

“I’m sure Thibs is going to tell you the same thing. He’s a great leader in that approach. You have to earn everything. And that’s the way it should be. It’s obviously disappointing to maybe not to have a successful season and stuff but we’re still competitors, and we still want to make the fans proud and represent the city.” 

Thibodeau has resisted affording extended minutes to the team’s younger players while still alive for a postseason berth, and he still hasn’t committed to more playing time for Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and Miles McBride now that the Knicks (34-43) are all but mathematically eliminated. He added Wednesday that the organization will “look at things in totality” once the offseason arrives. 

“We’ll look at things we did well, we’ll look at things we did that we didn’t like,” Thibodeau said. “And then we’ll try to make improvements over the summer.” 

Thibodeau continues to note that the Knicks’ overall play has improved since the All-Star break, but despite their recent four-game winning streak, they have gone 9-9 since their Feb. 25 return to action. 

Leading scorer Julius Randle reasserted his commitment to the organization and New York after Wednesday’s game, amid rumblings he could seek to force a trade in the offseason. Randle heard some boos during pregame introductions, but he believes the Knicks can get back to the playoffs next season following an admittedly frustrating year personally and collectively. 

“Yeah, absolutely, everything is a lesson, you learn from experiences like these and keep moving forward,” Randle said. 

“Hey look. This is the best place in the league to play, and I’ve been just about every place. So I’m speaking from experience,” Thibodeau said. “This place is special. The fans are passionate, we know what basketball means to this city. 

“We’ve got to give them something to be proud of. We’ve got to come out, we’ve got to play hard. We’ve got to play for each other. We’ve got to play smart. And if we do that, sometimes — you could lose a game and play well. You’ve got to remember; the other team’s pretty good, too. Last year was different, was a different year. … But you’ve got to keep battling with it every day. And that’s where it lies.”