The New York Knicks are a top five team in the Eastern Conference, posting a 47-35 record and getting the fifth seed for playoff basketball.
The Knicks are a dangerous team offensively, averaging 115 points-per-game. Overall it has been a season of streaks for New York, as they have gone on very long winning campaigns and very depressing losing streaks. Nevertheless when the team is hot, they are on fire.
Success and failure is always the work of coaching, though you mainly only hear fans and the media talk about the failure side. New York Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau is in the midst of this third year with New York. Growing up in New Britain, Connecticut, Thibodeau was always a Knicks fan. In his first season he brought the orange and white team to playoff basketball, ending a 7+ year drought.
Thibs and the Knicks missed both the playoffs and play-in tournament last season with a 37-45 record. 2022/23 was undoubtedly going to be a defining year for both the coaching staff and the players, so far all have risen to the challenge, but that does not mean there isn’t controversy.
Thibs came under fire earlier in the season for his misuse of Cam Reddish, who was benched with no explanation after asking for more playing minutes. Derrick Rose was also benched in early January, despite being a fan favorite and a powerful veteran presence in the game(s). Rose averaged 5.6 PPG in 27 played, down from 12 PPG in 26 games last season.
If you get rid of the controversial moves and lack of defensive judgment at times, well Tom Thibodeau is a very good coach. He won the 2020/21 Coach of the Year Award with a 41-31 record. Now as this regular season is coming to an end the Knicks’ have clinched an above .500% record under Thibodeau for the second time in three years. Before Thibs took over, the Knicks were over .500% just three times in the previous 19 years. Overall Thibs is 236-125 at the helm of the MSG team.
Tom Thibodeau should be considered for the 2022/23 NBA Coach of the Year due to the fact that he has transformed the Knicks’ along with rebounding massively after missing the playoffs last year.
New York faces the Cleveland Cavaliers for game one of round one with a 6pmEST tipoff time set for Saturday, April 15th.
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