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The reputation is one thing. The reality is another.
The Knicks don’t care about the former. They’re benefitting from the latter.
A narrative that coach Tom Thibodeau is stubborn, stuck in his ways with a “my way or the highway” mentality and hesitant to make needed adjustments has hovered over him throughout his career. But his current players see the opposite.
“I think once you have a label, it’s hard to shed that label,” Josh Hart said after practice Monday. “This whole, I don’t want to call it a run because it’s two series, but those two series [against the Pistons and Celtics], he showed that he’s willing to adapt, he’s willing to change, he’s willing to do different things than he’s used to. Obviously, that’s a willingness on his end, the trust and belief in his players.
“Everyone gave him a label and they just ran with that label for the last 10, 15 years. But I think the last two series showed his ability to adapt and change when necessary.”
How specifically has Thibodeau changed or adapted?
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts during the second quarter of Game 6 against the Celtics. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post“Obviously, a huge thing was the switching part,” Hart said, referencing Thibodeau’s decision to have the Knicks switch on nearly all screens against the Celtics after playing drop coverage the majority of their four regular-season matchups. “That’s one. I don’t want to say too many more. We can’t show some of our cards. He put the ball in Mikal [Bridges’] hands when he’s going. Or when guys are hot, leaving them in or making those tough decisions on rotations. You got to give him a lot of credit, because he’s given us a great game plan, making sure we’re prepared. He deserves a lot of credit.”
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All year, the Knicks have rejected the notion that they are not as tough as last year’s team, instead saying that they are simply different with new strengths and weaknesses. Turns out, that applies to Thibodeau as well.
There were concerning moments in the regular season, but Thibodeau has maximized those new strengths to bring the Knicks farther than they’ve been in 25 years.
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau and assistant coach Rick Brunson speaking during practice at the Knicks training facility in Tarrytown, New York. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post“You have to study your team, you have to study what the strengths and weaknesses of the team are,” Thibodeau said Monday. “Each team is different. That’s the challenge that you have every year. Whether it’s draft picks, trades, free agency, whatever it might be. Or maybe you get a player back that was injured the previous year. And then the challenge is, how do you put it together? And you have to get on the same page as quickly as possible.
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“Just keep focusing on daily improvement. Sometimes you do fall short,” Thibodeau said. “ The next day, you gotta get up and make sure you’re making your corrections and moving forward. You always want to be moving forward.”
The Knicks went 1-3 against the Pistons and 0-4 against the Celtics in the regular season before eliminating both in six games in the postseason.
Clearly, adjustments were made.
“There’s a lot of misconceptions about everyone,” Jalen Brunson said Monday. “That’s fine. Control what we can control. Let whoever talk about whatever they want to talk about.”
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