Joakim Noah is still improving his conditioning, but his surgically repaired right thumb has become a virtual non-issue.

‘‘I’m ready to get this tape off my finger as soon as I can,’’ Noah said of the precautionary wrap. ‘‘I feel like I’ve still got a lot of areas I can improve in. My conditioning is still not where I want it to be, and there’s still a lot of areas that I feel slow in. What’s exciting right now is how well we’re playing — and we can still get better.’’

‘‘His individual and team defense has been phenomenal,’’ Tom Thibodeau said. ‘‘Offensively, he’s still a little bit up and down, but that’s to be expected.’’

‘‘He’s not as comfortable as he was prior to the injury. That’ll come,’’ Thibodeau said. ‘‘Each game, he’s gotten more comfortable. He’s gotten to the point now in the post where he’s getting to the spots he wants to get to. The next step will be those elbow jumpers, the 15-to-17-foot shots.’’