Tom Thibodeau's Knicks Fate Should Be Sealed

Make Manhattan great again. Defund the (minutes) police. Read my lips: no new coach.

Time will tell if Tom Thibodeau wins the New York Knicks' electoral vote, consisting almost solely of the college of cap crunchers (led by James Dolan and Leon Rose). Hardwood wisdom, however, should suggest that they've "seen enough:" what has transpired in Boston over the past three days should be enough to turn New York Thibs for just under four more years.

Under Thibodeau's watch, the Knicks own a 2-0 lead on the defending champion — and Thibodeau's former employer — Boston Celtics in their best-of-seven conference semifinal set. New York is thus two wins away from its first conference final appearance in a quarter-century and will have three opportunities to procure historic advancement in the warmly raucous crowd of Madison Square Garden.

Every basketball locale outside of Manhattan is asking one question: how did we get here? The answer may not please the hardwood-loving public that often uses Thibodeau as a lazy, if not conventionally reliable, punchline.

Thibodeau criticisms have defied the Knicks' lead to date: too many minutes for starters? New York has saved its best for last, securing late victories despite heavy workloads, as his trusted eight has conducted itself well in six consecutive games decided by three points or less (tying an NBA postseason record set by the Celtics' champion group from 1981). Mikal Bridges, who admitted to rebelling against Thibodeau's timesheets, played 51 minutes in Game 1 and was still fresh enough to sink a key corner three and force the game-winning turnover in the 108-105 triumph.

The charge that Thibodeau sits and does nothing and fails to make in-game adjustments? It's hard to make that claim when he combated the Celtics' "Bewitch-a-Mitch" endeavor in Game 2, happily willing to play Boston's game of sending Mitchell Robinson to the foul line in an attempt to expose his greatest weakness.

In Wednesday's Game 2, Thibodeau let the Celtics have their fun, fouling Robinson until his men got to the cusp of the bonus. Even when Robinson struggled at the foul line, Thibodeau didn't let his faith waiver and was well-rewarded by a defensive effort that has produced the second-best plus/minus among all second-round participants, behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

All that and more culminates in the series' definition to date, one where the Knicks have scared Boston's interior invasions and forcing them into uncomfortable three-point attempts. Through two games, Thibodeau's signature is no doubt all over the Celtics' struggles from deep, which have featured an NBA playoff-record 75 misfires with an extra point on the line. Bridges, with some assistance from OG Anunoby, isn't even letting the Celtics get off last shot attempts, denying them the dignity of one last misfire.

Frequent switching has been a welcome departure from the stagnant man sets the Celtics saw in the regular season and it has forced the seemingly confident champions into desperate times against an enemy they thoroughly dominated in the regular season.

Even if this series sails out of the Knicks' control, that should be enough to allow him to keep control of their fortunes for the road ahead. If this is meant to be the core that guides Manhattan into the future, why change the architect that has tapped into their talents almost perfectly?

It won't take much convincing when it comes to his proteges, all of whom have hardly hesitated to stand up for Thibodeau, even when things weren't so rosy in Manhattan.

“I think you give him credit because it shows a willingness to adapt and to change,” Josh Hart said of Thibodeau after Game 1, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “The one thing about him is he works extremely hard and he’s going to make sure that we are prepared and have a good game plan and go out there and execute it."

To plan and execute so perfectly against a formidable foe, no matter how fleeting such success may be, should be enough to convince that things are on the right trajectory. During an appearance on Hart's "Roommates Show," Dolan previously hinted that this season is geared up for several sequels with the same cast. Why get rid of the director, who has placed the Knicks on a path to succeeding Boston as a prime Eastern contender, especially in a conference where the Cleveland Cavaliers' success could prove fleeting and the Indiana Pacers are theorized to be overachieving.

What Thibodeau has done against Boston, a team that could well simultaneously be on its last championship legs and benefitting from prior postseason visits should not be ignored, no matter how much temptation there may be there to go after, say, Michael Malone.

Heck, Malone's presence on the coaching market may only make Thibodeau's case greater. The Knicks faced by far the most thankless task among the NBA's 16 postseason participants: it's likely only a championship would truly appease their relentless critics.

That went more double, maybe even triple for Thibodeau: the tenured head coach had no doubt bought himself some time after re-establishing a postseason residency, but everyone had to grow up some time. First-round victories were on the verge of becoming a defunct currency among the Manhattan fanbase and the Beantown beatdown that many expected could've well been a bittersweet swan song for Thibodeau and a heralding trumpet for the champion Malone.

The Knicks know the real truth: it's Thibodeau that has placed them in a spot to succeed both now and later.

"Individually, he's meant a lot to my career," Knicks captain and Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson said in video from SNY before this postseason tipped off. "There's a lot of players who can say they've definitely benefited from Tom Thibodeau in his career. But I think, as a team, we're always in a position where we compete in the postseason, since I've been here. He's a very prepared individual. He's done a lot for my career. So I'm always looking to support him. Always. Even when he annoys me, always."

The state of the Knicks' union is undeniably strong. Vote Thibodeau in 2025.

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