Tom Thibodeau’s gamers went to bat for him.
He completed sixth for “worst coach” in a current ballot of gamers throughout the league by The Athletic and entered the postseason with heavy strain after the Knicks made two blockbuster trades to accumulate Karl-Anthony Cities and Mikal Bridges and gave OG Anunoby the largest contract in franchise historical past over the offseason.
Thibodeau obtained loads of criticism throughout an up-and-down common season, however he has the Knicks one win away from the second spherical of the playoffs.
His gamers are raving about him, notably in how he units them up down the stretch.
And so they disagree with a lot of the favored discourse about him.
“He does a lot for our team and there’s a lot of people who don’t give him that credit, but I’m happy to say he puts us in position where we’re prepared, we’re ready, and he lets us play,” Jalen Brunson stated. “He lets us play for sure. He lets us talk things out. He talks things out, too. But for the most part, he’s gonna let us play, he’s gonna let us figure it out, and we’re gonna have to figure it out together. He puts us in position to be successful, and that’s how he’s been since I’ve known him.”
The Knicks have dominated fourth quarters all through this first-round collection towards the Pistons, which saved them in Video games 1 and 4. They credit score Thibodeau for that growth.
They’re averaging 30.5 factors within the fourth quarter, second most amongst all playoff groups. They’re capturing 54.2 % from the sector within the fourth quarter, third greatest amongst playoff groups.
They’re committing simply 2.3 turnovers within the fourth quarter, tied for second greatest amongst playoff groups. That each one has helped them outscore opponents by a median of 5.3 factors within the fourth quarter, fifth greatest amongst playoff groups.
When the Knicks must function at their greatest, Thibodeau has them clicking.
“Making sure that we’re grounded,” Josh Hart stated. “Making sure that we’re valuing every possession. We’re always, I feel like, one of the best-prepared teams in the league. That’s a credit to him and his philosophy. Now we’ve gotta roll that into Game 5.”
Many had speculated Thibodeau’s job could possibly be in jeopardy in the event that they lose to the Pistons within the first spherical. Or even when they beat the Pistons and are uncompetitive towards the Celtics within the second spherical.
None of that bothers Thibodeau.
“To me, it’s understanding what goes into winning,” Thibodeau stated. “I think for the media and social media, it’s to add all those other things into it. For us, we don’t get lost in that stuff because that stuff doesn’t matter. What matters is how you prepare yourself to win and understand what goes into winning. If you do that, you’ll enhance your chances of winning.”
