Knicks Coach Hopes to Move Past Celtics Game

The New York Knicks didn't start their season off on the right foot.

Oct 18, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau looks on during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks defense struggled mightily in their season-opening loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

During the game, the Celtics shot 50.5 percent from the field, including 47.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line. The Celtics made 29 3-pointers, which tied an NBA record for most made triples in a game.

While the Celtics did a good job making their shots, the Knicks could have defended better, and coach Tom Thibodeau hopes to move past this poor performance.

“We’ll take a look at what we did, what we had to fix, get back to work," Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting. "Every game reveals things to you. Sometimes you do things well, sometimes not as well as you need to. But understand why you lost or won and take the necessary steps to move forward.”

The defense is the backbone of any team Thibodeau coaches, so to come out flat on that end of the floor to start the season may have been somewhat disappointing for the Knicks coach.

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, who was coached by Thibodeau from 2016-19 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, also knows how important it is to be strong on defense.

“I feel very confident in our offense, (but) we’ve got to bring that defensive identity that’s going to make us special," Towns said. “Once we figure that out, we’ll take that next step and we’ll be able to be the team we want to be.”

The Knicks have plenty of time to turn things around, and their opponent usually won't hit 29 threes in a game, but that performance to start the season will emphasize the importance of defense moving forward and the team can use that game as a tool to get better later on in the year.

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