The New York Knicks have been a resilient group this season, led by their captain, Jalen Brunson. With them gaining a massive come-from-behind win over the Indiana Pacers to trim the series deficit to 2-1, New York has a real chance to even up the series Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Knicks want to win for their head coach
They have been showcasing this resilience behind their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, who doesn’t ease up until the final buzzer sounds, regardless of the score. Thibodeau has faced a lot of scrutiny this postseason for his schemes and rotations, and while they are valid criticisms, this is the furthest he has gotten the Knicks in the postseason during his tenure as head coach.
The players are also still playing hard for him and want to succeed with him at the helm. Brunson detailed Monday how much it would mean if they could get Thibodeau his first ever trip to the NBA Finals as a head coach.
“Watching this man work tirelessly day-in and day-out, 364 days out of the year. He maybe takes one day off. It would mean a lot. I know he’s not thinking about that. I know he’s not thinking about what it would mean to him. He’s just thinking about, what can we do to be better in Game 4?,” Brunson said via SNY.
Reaching the finals would be huge for Thibodeau’s head coaching resume
Thibodeau has been to the Finals as an assistant coach twice, once with the Knicks in 1999 and once with the Boston Celtics in 2008. His Celtics would win the 2008 championship, but that remains his only ring in his NBA coaching career.
As a head coach, shortcomings have defined his career, as he usually leads teams to playoff appearances but can never seem to get them over the top. This year seems different, however, as the Knicks have a real chance to reach their first NBA Finals since 1999, when Thibodeau was an assistant.
A finals appearance would be a true full circle moment for Thibodeau, given the history and amount of adversity he has faced to get to this point. He and the Knicks face more adversity again down 2-1 in the series, but a win in Game 4 would suddenly give them home court advantage once again.
Game 4 is set to tip off at 8 P.M. EST on Tuesday. Undoubtedly, this is the biggest game of Thibodeau’s Knicks coaching career.
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