Knicks rally behind Tom Thibodeau after his ugly ranking in new ‘worst coach’ poll

Tom Thibodeau’s players went to bat for him. 

He finished sixth for “worst coach” in a recent poll of players across the league by The Athletic and entered the postseason with heavy pressure after the Knicks made two blockbuster trades to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges and gave OG Anunoby the biggest contract in franchise history over the offseason. 

Thibodeau received plenty of criticism during an up-and-down regular season, but he has the Knicks one win away from the second round of the playoffs.

His players are raving about him, particularly in how he sets them up down the stretch. 

And they disagree with much of the popular 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 said. “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 throughout this first-round series against the Pistons, which saved them in Games 1 and 4. They credit Thibodeau for that development. 

They are averaging 30.5 points in the fourth quarter, second most among all playoff teams. They are shooting 54.2 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, third best among playoff teams.

They’re committing just 2.3 turnovers in the fourth quarter, tied for second best among playoff teams. That all has helped them outscore opponents by an average of 5.3 points in the fourth quarter, fifth best among playoff teams. 

When the Knicks need to operate at their best, Thibodeau has them clicking. 

“Making sure that we’re grounded,” Josh Hart said. “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 be in jeopardy if they lose to the Pistons in the first round. Or even if they beat the Pistons and are uncompetitive against the Celtics in the second round. 

None of that bothers Thibodeau. 

“To me, it’s understanding what goes into winning,” Thibodeau said. “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.”