The New York Knicks will leave the 2024 NBA Playoffs having fallen short of their goal. But when the dust settles, anyone can appreciate the heart that they played with throughout the postseason. The Knicks literally gave it their all, fighting until they couldn’t stand.
Tom Thibodeau Sounds Off On Knicks Future
When the troops have rallied, a commander will go down the line, look their soldiers in the eyes and take stock of that individual’s readiness.
Will they sacrifice themselves for their brothers-in-arms or to complete the objective? Does the fire in any of them burn so brightly — is the thrill of battle so seductive —that their ebullience is palpable? In combat, the side that usually comes out on top had better resources, training, or strategy than the other. However, the generals that win the hearts of their men are even more dangerous, even more likely to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. If they don’t, those men will still follow because they an immense amount of respect for them.
That’s the situation that Thibodeau now finds himself in after this season.
A two-time Coach of the Year, Thibodeau’s had more successful seasons than New York’s 2023-24 campaign. Indeed, in his first year as head coach, he led the Chicago Bulls to 62 wins and the Eastern Conference Finals. However, there given the circumstances, he may not be a more memorable season.
‘No Matter What’
His players dropping like flies in 2024, Thibodeau went to war with hodgepodge crews who embodied the next man up mentality. Never asking his guys to play outside of themselves, he allowed them to play their strengths, even if it just meant being a tough defender. He empowered his team with his belief in them, coaching them hard but with fatherly affection.
The best evidence of this isn’t that the Knicks were able to make it to the second round of the NBA Playoffs with more than half of their rotation hobbled. It’s that his players “have his back, no matter what.”
“The way that he’s evolved is his players have his back no matter what”
Jalen Brunson was asked about how Tom Thibodeau grew as a coach through the course of this season pic.twitter.com/7CBJiqMmLq
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 19, 2024
“I think Thibs has the same mindset we do as a team,” says Knicks leader Jalen Brunson. “Thibs is the reason we have that mindset. Thibs is the reason why —night in and night out —we fight to the best of our abilities…”
Now coaching a team with the type of toughness and resilience that matches him perfectly, Thibodeau is probably already thinking of ways the Knicks can improve next season. However, having originally signed a five-year contract with New York in 2020, his deal will expire next offseason. Neither he nor the Knicks seem willing to let it get to that point though, as the two sides will negotiate a contract extension in the near future.
“The Knicks have been great to me,” Thibodeau says (h/t HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto). “This is where I want to be.”
