It was the perfect birthday present for Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau is a proud New England Englishman, born in New Britain, Conn, a Patriots fanatic, who took root in his childhood for the Knicks before turning green.
When he turned 63, Thibodeau didn’t get a big Tom Brady birthday cake, but he celebrated it by returning to New England to destroy the Celtics with defense on Sunday afternoon, between 105 and 75.
This 30-point kill in Boston ended his club’s five-game streak, while his Knicks threw a perfect game against the Celtics at the TD Garden without fans.
The Knicks head coach, first year forever intense, even broke a couple of smiles at Zoom in the post-game interview.
“You know I’m never happy,” Thibodeau said, with a smile. “I’m not happy unless I’m miserable.”
It was an exciting afternoon in Beantown, the best so far of his short tenure. The last time the Knicks attacked Boston by at least 30 points was in 1997 and Thibs was a young Knicks assistant.
“I actually grew up a Knick fan: my dad was a Knick fan,” Thibodeau added. “Then when I went to school in Boston [Salem State], was in the mid-80s, so I became a Celtic fan. The irony of it all is that I ended up working for both teams. If you grow up in Connecticut, it won’t be much better than that. Delighted to be part of two prestigious organizations. “
It is true that the Celtics leaders of the Eastern Conference were missing superstar Jayson Tatum and postponed three games last week due to COVID-19.
But the Celtics still took the Knicks lightly and paid off. Great time. They played as if thinking about whether Brady, still obsessed with New England, would get Tampa Bay to participate in the NFC Championship game Sunday later.
The Knicks didn’t play badly on Friday in their heartbreaking loss to Cleveland and took their frustration out of the Celtics.
“I told our players: the way they practice, the attitude, the focus and the way they practice has been positive,” Thibodeau said. “I thought I was going to Cleveland, I thought we were ready to play. I thought we were great at shooting and we played well enough to win [Friday] to the road. We didn’t close the match the way we would have liked. Then [Saturday] in practice I found it fantastic. Whenever we do the right things. I know we will improve and continue to improve. “
Such a promising day for the Knicks (6-8) is just as good for the Brooklyn Dream Team. If the Celtics are their main hurdle for the NBA Finals, you can book Kevin Durant and James Harden’s trip to Los Angeles this summer.
The Knicks veterans and their two rookies, striker Immanuel Quickley and striker Obi Toppin, played in their first round, combining 29 points on the 12-of-20 shot.
“If we keep playing like we did today, we’ll win a lot of games,” said Toppin, who eventually looked like a lottery pick by scoring 12 points and hitting 2 of 4 3-painters.
Thibodeau’s club harassed the sleepy Celtics in one of their worst shooting performances out of history: 7 of 46 (15.2%) from the 3-point line. The Celtics could not have hit water if they threw tea at the port of Boston.
“The defense carries an offense,” said Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who fired despite being disturbed. “Communication was there.”
Robinson entered the contest with a bruised heel, and then made a nasty spill in the first half after blocking a 3-point shot. He hurt his knee, but limped all day on a football Sunday like a pig skin warrior, who was still an active machine.
Meanwhile, Quickley delivered his usual shake-up and got the disappointing Toppin to go soon with a wolf alley.
Thibodeau has stood firm by keeping Quickley as a lightning off the bench and Elfrid Patyon as a starter. He was rewarded. There is a lot of time to change. Once he does, he can’t go back or it’s David Fizdale.
Thibodeau then addressed the Quickley issue that has empowered social media enthusiasts. Payton’s defense is best used to give an early tone, Thibodeau said, and the Knicks shattered the Celtics from the starting tap. The Knicks coach said he would like to see Payton-Quickley as a pair on the road.
“I love the two guys – they’re different and they bring different things to the team,” Thibodeau said. “It gives us great flexibility. Elfrid, when you look at his defense and size, many of those guards, especially the current NBA punters, are many. Elfrid has a good understanding of how to defend them. He can play at making us. And when Quickley comes in, it gives us a different look. ”
Of course, it’s easier to win in this famous salon minus the bustling people of Boston. TD Garden is the strongest building in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks made it as quiet as Sunday church.
It now goes from Thibodeau’s birthday in Boston to Martin Luther King’s day celebration in the garden. Sunday will be more important on the court if the Knicks win MLK Day against Orlando.