The New York Knicks and Tom Thibodeau’s coaching style receives a lot of criticism for the lengthy amount of minutes their stars play during the regular season. That trend is no different in the postseason, as the bench almost rarely sees the floor while on the biggest stage.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson playfully bashes the minutes police
However, so far, the Knicks look more energetic in their first-round series against the Detroit Pistons. Game 3 was a long, hard-fought battle, yet it was New York who was able to hold off a late Detroit rally to take Game 3 on the road and a 2-1 series advantage.
Jalen Brunson, who finished with 30 points and nine assists in 39 minutes of action, playfully credited Thibodeau for keeping him well conditioned for tough, physical opponents such as the Pistons.
“Just happy Thibs played me all those minutes throughout the regular season,” Brunson said, via SNY. “Got me in shape for the playoffs.”
The Knicks were in strong shape in Game 3
Brunson’s comments come in a lighthearted way, but also in a way that can be seen as a jab towards the minutes police. Thibodeau gets criticized heavily for his minutes distribution, but so far, there has been little to complain about when it comes to his rotations. They haven’t been perfect, but he made the adjustments he needed to make to come away with a win in Game 3.
Fans have long had a gripe with Thibodeau for playing his guys too many minutes. Their biggest concern has always been fatigue and the added risk of injury by playing them an extra amount of minutes when Thibodeau could be preserving players’ energy.
However, it was clear that the Knicks were conditioned for games like Game 3, and they were able to keep attacking Detroit’s defense until the final buzzer sounded. The Pistons looked sluggish down the stretch and struggled to generate any sort of offense against New York’s stifling defense.
New York will now look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series on Sunday when they face Detroit in Game 4. That game will tip off at 1 P.M. EST and be broadcast nationally on ABC.