The New York Knicks embark on a big title quest Saturday night, and many feel that head coach Tom Thibodeau’s job is at stake this year. Despite leading the franchise to the playoffs for the third consecutive year, the expectations are much higher this time, given the abundance of star talent on the roster.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson defends Tom Thibodeau ahead of playoffs
They begin their quest with a first-round series against the No. 6-seeded Detroit Pistons. New York is the heavy favorite in this matchup and should be able to come out on top, but the Pistons are not a team to mess around with.
Despite people’s questions about Thibodeau’s future, Knicks captain and superstar point guard Jalen Brunson believes in his head coach.
“Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions … [but] I’m a big Thibs supporter,” Brunson said, via SNY. “That’s just who I am and what I’ll be. Individually he’s meant a lot to my career. There’s a lot of players who can say they’ve definitely benefited from Tom Thibodeau.”
These playoffs will tell a lot about Thibodeau’s future with the Knicks
Thibodeau has a reputation for establishing a winning culture, but he can’t get over the big hurdles. It was more of the same story this season, as even though they had a very strong 51-31 record, they were 0-10 against the top 3 teams in the league.
The lack of success against good teams is why many are casting doubt on their chances to win. However, the playoffs and the regular season are far different from one another, and this is both the Knicks’ and Thibodeau’s opportunity to prove the doubters wrong.
However, if things go awry, the conversations around the personnel of this team become very difficult, and the last thing the Knicks want to have to do is make significant changes to their championship-building group. Game 1 of the series against the Pistons tips off at 6 P.M. EST on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, as New York will look to start the playoffs on a high note.